Unique system in Detroit. https://www.thepeoplemover.com/
When I lived in downtown Detroit in the 90s — walking distance from the Greektown and Bricktown stations — I rode the People Mover regularly. It's an interesting, one-direction system that will get you around downtown efficiently. I still have some DPM tokens 25 years later! I'm glad to see Detroit continuing to revitalize. It's really a beautiful and underrated city. I also look forward to the progress on Michigan Central Station.Unique system in Detroit. https://www.thepeoplemover.com/
Sadly, that's the case — but there's now a streetcar running down Woodward as well. The DPM, while not extensive, is a good way to get around downtown once you're there.I've ridden the People Mover. If it's the same as when I rode it, circa 2004, it has somewhat limited utility, as it's a single track, and the trains only go in one direction. Thus, if you want to go to the next station that's "upstream," you have to ride all the way around the loop. The loop is also so small, thet in most cases, unless the weather is horrible or you need to lug around some sort of non-rollerbag suitcase or other such package, you might as well, just walk the distance. Of course, this is Detroit. You can't very well expect the epicenter of America's automobile culture to spend serious tax $$$ of public transportation.
Thanks for sharing these photos! It brings back great memories of my time in Detroit, and I appreciate seeing the progress of the city.Thanks for bringing this up about the Detroit People Mover (DPM) and the QLine (Detroit Streetcar). I managed to ride the DPM and the QLine in 2019.
The QLine was my regular main ride to classes at Wayne State U., but the only reason it worked well was that I lived near Grand Circus Park, with a distance of just under two miles along the line. I could have easily just caught the DDOT Nº4 bus, since the route between home and classes was direct and followed the QLine route along Woodward Ave., the main NNW artery from the downtown area (state route M-1). The bus had shorter headways than the streetcar, which at the time had unexpected and typical growing pains from parked roadway vehicles blocking the tracks. Since 2022, the QLine has been a licensed towing operator to snatch away those obstructions by thoughtless entitled parkers (the same issue with Cincinnati's Bell Connector).
The DPM northernmost stop was near home, but I rarely took it, unless I had a reason to go to the riverfront, since walking was the fastest alternative. As an elevated system with a convoluted path through downtown, it did afford great views though. Because the DPM serves little more than as a limited downtown circulator, it's potential as a transit utility has never been realized. It does have a benefit for a few downtown targets, such as Greektown, Cobo Center (now Huntington Place), Ren Cntr (Renaissance Center), and formerly the Joe Louis Arena (the "Joe"), before it was razed in 2019-2020. But as Marc Rider pointed out, the single-track one-way infrastructure severely cramps its mobility value.
Markedly limited transit benefit also can be said with the QLine, primarily because it never was supported with the capital outlay required to extend it, such that it would serve both choice- and captive- rider bases. The QLine almost didn't happen, but private benefactors like Robert Penske and Dan Gilbert (Quicken Loans), and the Kresge Foundation helped mosh it over the hurdles that would have made the project stillborn. Ironically, construction began the year following the city's bankruptcy in 2013, that also might have helped drive the will for assisting the city's revival with a streetcar as an economic-development tool.
Political constraints related to fiscal support of the QLine have been a primary issue with expanding it north of the Penske Tech Center (QLine's storage and maintenance facility) and beyond the initially planned extent near the Detroit corporation limit at Eight Mile Rd and to the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. That likely could gain more ridership. Attendance at Little Caesars Arena directly located on Woodward has helped the QLine ridership, since the "Joe" was leveled. This likely has helped the QLine ridership more than what was lost from the DPM, because of direct arterial access along Woodward.
Fares on the QLine were still required in 2019, when I used to ride it, and the pandemic shut it down through Sept. 2021. Since then, it's been fare-free, thanks to subsidies from Penske and the Kresge, and reportedly the state legislature approved funding to keep it free through 2039. View attachment 35754View attachment 35755View attachment 35756That said, the DPM fare of 75 cents was waived, effective the start of this year and are to remain so through the year. In any event, any synergism between the DPM and the QLine would become more pronounced, if the QLine streetcar could be expanded with interconnected routes to Corktown (US-12, Michigan Ave.), Gratiot Ave (SR M-3), and especially Grand River Ave. (SR M-5), the latter of which perhaps would serve a more captive ridership base.
It is. Woodward & Baltimore.QLINE and Peoplemover are free through 2024 thanks to sponsors.
i might take Amtrak to Detroit I think the station is on the qline.
The one at Detroit?I was thankful for the people mover at the airport. Hope to ride the others someday.
Sorry, yes that’s the the one I was referring to.The one at Detroit?
I was thankful for the people mover at the airport. Hope to ride the others someday.
i've never ridden it, as I use Southwest, and they're in North Terminal.Ah the Delta ExpressTram.
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