Q-LINE to be Free Through June 30

Free rides on Detroit’s QLINE streetcar system are being extended through June 30.

The 3.3-mile line opened on May 12 and ridership has averaged 8,300 on Friday through Sunday and 5,120 on Monday through Thursday.

The system has also had some teething problems, including long waits.

Thus far only four of the system’s Brookville articulated streetcars have been operating, leading to waiting times as long as 45 minutes. The average wait time is scheduled to be 20 minutes.

M-1 Rail Chief Executive Officer Matt Cullen said delaying collecting fares “will help integrate the streetcar into daily commutes and provide the necessary time for educating the riding public about riding the system.”

M-1 Rail, which operates the streetcar network, also said extending the introductory period will allow a refinement of operations to accommodate demand.

Street teams will be assigned to station stops to assist riders in navigating the system and connecting to their destinations.

The QLine runs down Woodward Avenue between downtown Detroit and the New Center business district.

Detroit QLINE Begins Regular Service

The Detroit QLINE began revenue service last week over a 3.3-mile route that cost $180 million to develop.

It was the first streetcar service in Detroit since April 8, 1956.

To celebrate the opening of the streetcar service, Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation are offering $5 one-way fares ($2.50 for children ages 2 to 12) from Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Royal Oak, Troy, and Pontiac to the Detroit station, a half block from the Baltimore Street Q Line stop near the Penske Tech Center maintenance facility in New Center.

The offer is available through May 21.

Merchants along the streetcar line offered special discounts this past weekend. Passengers were able to ride the streetcars for free.

The QLINE uses cars built by Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment Corporation that run on batteries at the ends of the routes and draw power from overhead wires in the middle of the system.

The streetcars run between Detroit’s New Center business area and the downtown riverfront district.

Brookville Completes Cars for Detroit M1 Rail

Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment said this week it has delivered the fifth and sixth off-wire-capable Liberty Streetcars to the Detroit-based QLINE system “ahead of contractual delivery dates and prior to the QLINE’s recently announced May 12 start of revenue service.”

The cars were built in Brookville, Pennsylvania, and will operate on a 6.6-mile loop on Woodward Avenue without catenary for 60 percent of the route.

Other features of the nearly 67-foot long cars are a 70 percent-plus low-floor area, station-level passenger boarding, and the capability to transport up to 125 passengers.

“Throughout the project, our deliveries occurred [on] an average of 57 days ahead of their contractual dates, beginning with the pilot vehicle’s arrival in September 2016,” Brookville said in a news release “Since that time, the streetcars have been gradually undergoing testing in preparation for the forthcoming line opening.”

Brookville also has delivered Liberty Streetcars to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and is under contract with the City of Oklahoma City and the City of Milwaukee for the production of similar vehicles.

Detroit M-1 Rail Decides on Station Design

Detroit M-1 Rail has decided on a design for the 20 stations that will dot its 3.3-mile QLINE route in downtown Detroit.

The stations will be glass and concrete and feature Wi-Fi connection, heating, security cameras, emergency phones and next vehicle alert screens.

In a news release, M-1 said the stations will recognize corporate and philanthropic partners whose support served as the foundation for the public-private partnership behind the streetcar line.

The stations will recognize the sponsor with an individual custom tile, along with a plaque commemorating contributions to the project. Sponsorships required a $3 million pledge.
The stations were designed by the Detroit-based architecture firm Rosetti.

Earlier this week, M-1 began streetcar testing on its route on Woodward Avenue. Testing of the tracks with a speeder began last August.

Detroit Streetcar Route Testing Begins

Track testing of the Detroit QLINE streetcar route because last week using a motorized inspection car.

Detroit M-1 Rail, which will operate the 3.3-mile line along Woodward Avenue, said the speeder checked for obstructions and reviewed the physical dimensions of infrastructure to ensure proper maintenance of traffic.

M-1 Rail said installation of the overhead catenary system is 60 percent complete and that 85 percent of the poles have been installed.

Track installation is 83 percent complete. Revenue service is expected to begin in early 2017.

Brookville Delivers More Liberty Streetcars

The fourth Liberty Streetcar has been delivered by Brookville Equipment of Brookville, Pennsylvania, to Dallas, which concludes an order placed in July 2015.

Brookville said in a news release that it is currently building six off-wire capable Liberty Streetcars for the Q Line streetcar line in Detroit.

The Detroit cars are slated to be delivered starting this fall.

Brookeville said the Liberty Streetcar is the first off-wire capable streetcar to operate in the United States.

M1 Rail Awards Operating Contract

Detroit M1 Rail has awarded Transdev North America a $15.5 million five-year contract to operate and maintain Detroit’s streetcar line.

Transdev, which is based near Chicago, will oversee operations and maintenance including hiring and training. The five-year contract includes an optional five-year extension.

The 3.3 mile Q Line will operate along Woodward Avenue from Larned Street to West Grand Boulevard

Serving 20 stations, the streetcar service is expected to begin in late 2017.

“In selecting Transdev, we are bringing a premiere international provider of streetcar operations services to Detroit,” said Paul Childs, chief operating officer for M-1 RAIL. “Our partnership with Transdev ensures the Q Line will provide a safe, reliable and best-in-class transit experience for our ridership.”

M1 Rail Says Detroit Streetcar Line Construction is Likely to be Finished by Late This Year

The Detroit streetcar system is expected to be “substantially complete” by the end of 2016 with service set to start in spring 2017.

“There’s nothing in our way right now that says we can’t get there,” said Paul Childs, chief operating officer for M-1 Rail.

Construction of the 3.3-mile line began nearly two years ago. The $140 million streetcar line will connect the downtown Detroit with the North End and New Center sections of the city.

The line will have 20 scheduled stops.

M1 Rail recently opened its Penske Tech Center, which is an administrative office building and mechanical shops where light rail vehicles will be repaired and stored.

Detroit Street Car to be Named QLINE

Quicken Loans already has its name on a sports arena in Cleveland and now the Michigan-based company will soon see its name on the Detroit streetcar line.

The finance company and M-1 Rail announced last week that the streetcar system will be known as the QLINE and cars will feature a stylized “Q” logo that they said “symbolizes the connectivity accomplished through the rail line.”

Quicken Loans received the naming rights to the streetcar line last May due to its financial support for the project. The companies will also be one of 20 station sponsors.

“The launch of this modern streetcar marks a monumental moment in the development of Detroit in the 21st Century,” said Quicken Loans President and Chief Marketing Officer Jay Farner in a statement. “Quicken Loans is proud to play our part in the beginning stages of modernizing the transit system in our burgeoning urban core.”

The QLINE is expected to be completed late this year. The first streetcar will be delivered during the fourth quarter.

Cars will operate at a top speed of 35 mph over a 3.3-mile route from Congress Street in downtown Detroit to West Grand Boulevard. Construction began in 2014.

Detroit M-1 Rail Sets Fares, Service Hours

Detroit M-1 Rail has announced its operating plan and fares when its  streetcar service begins as expected in early 2017.

A ride will cost $1.50, although discounted tickets are available if purchased in bulk.

M-1 officials said details are still being worked out about the cost of a transfer from a bus and a universal pass.

The streetcars are expected to operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

Additional late night service will be provided for such events as baseball, football, hockey games, concerts and festivals.

The streetcar line will have 12 stops on its 3.3 mile trek on Woodward Avenue. Cars will have a top speed of 35 mph and will share lanes with vehicle traffic.