Detroit Transportation Corporation Detroit People Mover

The Detroit People Mover is a one-way, one-track elevated, light-rail, rapid transit loop that circulates around downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States, originally intended to be incorporated into a regional rapid transit system. It is operated by the Detroit Transportation Corporation, a city of Detroit agency that is completely separate from the Detroit Department of Transportation. It has 13 stations, is 2.9 miles long and was opened in 1987 (though an opening date of 1991 was mentioned on the city of Detroit website in the early 2000's).

History

Planning and construction

In the mid-1970's, the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority began planning a rapid transit system for metropolitan Detroit, which was to include a Woodward Avenue subway line, which would be underground from downtown north to McNichols Road and elevated from McNichols northward to Pontiac that would terminate in an elevated downtown loop. On August 5, 1981, SEMTA signed a contract with UTDC to utilize UTDC's ICTS system on the elevated loop. Work never began on the subway, however.

Construction on the People Mover began in 1983, but by then, several destinations the system was intended to serve had vanished. As a channel for federal grants, SEMTA was to oversee construction of the line, which was estimated to cost $137 million. The project, however, was plagued by numerous mismanagement problems and mishaps and nearly $66 million in massive cost overruns were projected, so much to the point that the federal government threatened to cease all funding for the rest of the project. In March 1985, with the project still incomplete, SEMTA agreed with then-mayor Coleman A. Young to transfer final completion and operation of the project over to the city of Detroit. This transaction was completed on October 4, 1985. Thus, the Detroit Transportation Corporation was formed to oversee the operation of the People Mover.

The People Mover was ultimately opened to the public on July 31, 1987, becoming the last of the three ICTS systems that went into operation, after the Scarborough RT line in Toronto and Vancouver's SkyTrain both opened in 1985. Free rides on the system were offered to the public during the first eight days of service, with a $0.50 fare going into effect on August 8.

Since 1987

Originally operating counter-clockwise around the downtown area, in 2008, the People Mover permanently switched to clockwise running, although the system can operate in both directions with the use of a passing track located between the Times Square and Michigan Avenue stations. This had been most notably the case twice-first in late 1998 and early 1999 after a portion of the track along Farmer Street was severely damaged during the implosion of the former Hudson's department store building on October 24, 1998; then again between 2002 and 2004 as the Renaissance Center station was closed for massive reconstruction. On November 7, 2011, the fare was raised to $0.75. On January 7, 2014, the entire loop was shut down due to extremely low temperatures. The first recorded derailment of a People Mover train occurred on January 22, 2015, near the Michigan Avenue Station.

Roster

Typical interior layout of 01-12.

Fleet number(s)	Thumbnail	Year	Manufacturer	Model	Notes
01-12		1985	UTDC	ICTS MK I	All feature full exterior advertisement wraps. Operates in two-car sets.

Stations

The current map of the People Mover.

• Times Square Station
• Grand Circus Park Station
• Broadway Station
• Cadillac Center Station
• Greektown Station
• Bricktown Station
• Renaissance Center Station
• Millender Center Station
• Financial District Station
• Joe Louis Arena Station
• Cobo Center Station
• Fort/Cass Station
• Michigan Avenue Station

External links

• DTC Detroit People Mover website
• Theme song from an older version of the DTC site