Unique system in Detroit. https://www.thepeoplemover.com/
Detroit Peoplemover and Q-Line
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Metra Electric Rider
Engineer
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Funny you posted, my YouTube algorhythm was suggesting a cab ride view from the People Mover.
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.
They've just purchased the rolling stock of Toronto's defunct Scarborough RT to supplement, as both use the same technology.
It's been a Loooong time since I've ridden... might have to check it out again, I remember the portion that went by the Detroit river was fun.
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.
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.
George Harris
Engineer
It's made by Lionel, it's swell.
rookzie
Train Attendant
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. That 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.
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. That 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.
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i might take Amtrak to Detroit I think the station is on the qline.
i might take Amtrak to Detroit I think the station is on the qline.
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Thanks for sharing these photos!
It brings back great memories of my time in Detroit, and I appreciate seeing the progress of the city.I didn't know the Woodward train is called the QLINE. It didn't exist when I lived there. There were no tracks down Woodward.
It's also beautiful to see the DPM tracks with the Ambassador Bridge and the skyline of Windsor (with the Canadian flag). The latter is the view I had from my downtown apartment. I wonder if the Canadian Club neon sign on the river is still there. It was so bright that it lit up my apartment.
Kramerica
Service Attendant
I rode the DPM the Sunday morning of Metallica weekend November 2023. Very few riders. The two stations we visited had one or two security guards. The DPM goes counterclockwise around its circuitous downtown loop. We rode it just for the sake of riding it and to see downtown. It was a nice little sightseeing tour. Only takes about 20 minutes to do the loop.
rookzie
Train Attendant
The DPM has run counter-clockwise previously. In fact CCW had been its original direction of movement ─ lasting for some 21 years, before it switched to clockwise on a permanent basis.
The CW direction rationale in part was that it then would have only one short, relatively steep uphill climb along its path, thereby allowing it to proceed with the aid of gravity along much of the remaining path along the loop. Additionally, it was supposed that a CW path would reduce the time needed to connect between more popular destinations, although that would depend largely on the premise that riders would board and alight at certain points relative to these destinations. In any event, the CW direction claimed to allow shorter headways, since the trains could accelerate faster from stops along most of the path.
It returned to weekend-only CCW movement which became "permanent" just prior to the time of the pandemic shut-down, mid-winter 2020. After being closed down for just over 2 years, it has continued CCW since reopening in late spring 2022. Reversing direction helps to even out the wear on the rails on the curved sections, since entering a curve imparts different wear from that exiting a curve. Periodically alternating between CW and CCW should become part of routine maintenance.
It's not as effective for evening wear on the wheels of the trains, as that only can be accomplished by turning the equipment around relative to the track ─ sort of like "flipping the mattress", so to speak. While the DPM enclosed maintenance center has a lot of space, it doesn't have a means for turning the vehicles, with either a wye or a turntable. What possibly could be tenable (and a partial equivalent of car-turning), would be to hoist the cars from their trucks and then rotate and reattach the trucks, since the cars routinely are hoisted anyway for running-gear repairs and maintenance.
The CW direction rationale in part was that it then would have only one short, relatively steep uphill climb along its path, thereby allowing it to proceed with the aid of gravity along much of the remaining path along the loop. Additionally, it was supposed that a CW path would reduce the time needed to connect between more popular destinations, although that would depend largely on the premise that riders would board and alight at certain points relative to these destinations. In any event, the CW direction claimed to allow shorter headways, since the trains could accelerate faster from stops along most of the path.
It returned to weekend-only CCW movement which became "permanent" just prior to the time of the pandemic shut-down, mid-winter 2020. After being closed down for just over 2 years, it has continued CCW since reopening in late spring 2022. Reversing direction helps to even out the wear on the rails on the curved sections, since entering a curve imparts different wear from that exiting a curve. Periodically alternating between CW and CCW should become part of routine maintenance.
It's not as effective for evening wear on the wheels of the trains, as that only can be accomplished by turning the equipment around relative to the track ─ sort of like "flipping the mattress", so to speak. While the DPM enclosed maintenance center has a lot of space, it doesn't have a means for turning the vehicles, with either a wye or a turntable. What possibly could be tenable (and a partial equivalent of car-turning), would be to hoist the cars from their trucks and then rotate and reattach the trucks, since the cars routinely are hoisted anyway for running-gear repairs and maintenance.
Very good information, thanks.
It is. Woodward & Baltimore.
I was thankful for the people mover at the airport. Hope to ride the others someday.
The one at Detroit?
Sorry, yes that’s the the one I was referring to.
PerRock
Engineer
Ah the Delta ExpressTram.
i've never ridden it, as I use Southwest, and they're in North Terminal.
