DETROIT – The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan will acquire ownership and control of the Detroit QLine streetcar, Detroit Free Press reports. The deal was approved on Sept. 19 and will be effective Oct. 1.
The QLine began as M-1 RAIL, a non-profit organization formed in 2007 to lead the design, construction, and operation of a 3.3-mile circulating streetcar along Woodward Avenue. Service began in May 2017 with six new Brookville Equipment Corp. streetcars. The cars operate under wires for part of the route and on battery where overhead wires were not desirable.
“We’ve always envisioned QLine becoming an official part of the larger regional transit system,” says RTA Executive Director Ben Stupka.
The QLine’s FY 2025 budget stands at $10.59 million, mostly funded through state resources. It is presently free to ride, but has charged in the past.
The line serves Amtrak’s Detroit station at the northern end of its route.
Four days in, no comments? The Q-Line is one big yawner. Downtown to New Center, you can ride the bus. From intermediate points (like Wayne State University, Midtown condos, the Art Center, or the Medical Center) you can walk to either end and it’s an enjoyable walk.
The beginning of a regional transit system? Well, then, RTA Executive Director Ben Stupka, show us the plan for regional transit. You can’t because there is no plan.
BTW I read both Detroit newspapers (Freep and News) on line daily. I have literally never heard of the RTA. What is it and what does it do?
Oh, and while I’m at it, does anyone else remember the Washington Boulevard trolley? It was put into the Memory Hole, 1984-style. I paced the thing on foot and kept up with it until the last block. At the last block, the trolley caught a green light but I had to stop at the Don’t Walk while vehicles still had the green. The trolley won.