Detroit Streetcar Resumes Sept. 27

The Detroit streetcar line will resume service after being idle for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Known as the QLine streetcar, the 6.6-mile line shut down in March 2020.

When it resumes service it will operate every 15 minutes from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday-Friday and 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday.

Through the end of this year rides on the streetcar line, which is operated by M-1 Rail, will be free.

The streetcar route serves locations on Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit through Midtown, New Center, and the North End.

It began operations in May 2017 and has carried 3.3 million people since then.

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.

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 QLINE to Open on May 12

Revenue service on Detroit’s streetcar system will begin on May 12, QLINE officials said last week.

To mark the opening, there will be a special event at the Penske Technical Center and an inaugural ride down Woodward Avenue. Public service begins that evening.

“We are going to be running simulated operations in April,” said M-1 Rail spokesman Dan Lijana. “We want to make sure that the drivers have as much time on the road (as possible) before we start taking passengers.”

M-1 Rail is the operator of the streetcar system. Construction of the $142 streetcar line began in July 2014 and test runs over the 3.3-mile system began in December.

The 66-foot long streetcars can carry 125 passengers on average and will reach maximum speeds of 35 mph.

They will stop for traffic lights and M-1 Rail has begun a public education campaign with the first step being a series of safety videos to help Detroit residents become accustomed to coexisting with streetcars.

The QLINE will operate between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to midnight on Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

M-1 Rail estimates that the QLINE will carry 5,000 to 8,000 passengers per day.

“QLINE’s grand opening will be a historic day in Detroit,” said M-1 Rail CEO Matt Cullen. “We’re bringing rail transit back to the heart of the city and connecting the Woodward Corridor in a way that’s already begun to transform the entire district.”

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 QLINE Receives 1st Streetcar

The first streetcar arrived in Detroit on Wednesday.

“Receiving the first QLINE streetcar at this time will provide M-1 RAIL a greater opportunity to help Detroiters acclimate to the idea of sharing the road with a streetcar, and give us additional time for driver training,” said M-1 Rail Chief of Operations Paul Childs in a statement.

The car was built by Pennsylvania-based Brookville Equipment Corporation and arrived nearly two months ahead of initial projections, M-1 Rail officials said in a news release.

The three-piece QLINE streetcars are 66 feet in length and have a capacity of 125 passengers per car.

QLINE streetcars will share the road with vehicular traffic and have a top speed of 35 mph. Each car will offer Wi-Fi access, vertical bike racks, and heating and cooling systems.

QLINE expects to begin revenue service in spring 2017.

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.