Detroit People Mover

In 1964 the creation of the federal Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) allowed stronger investment into cities' declining transit systems. By the late 1960s there was gaining momentum for exploring new forms of transit to improve the quality of urban life, and UMTA's scope was expanded for development of such systems. In the early 1970s two automated guideway transit (AGT) demonstrators were sponsored; a "group rapid transit" concept, the Vought Airtrans, at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport; and a "personal rapid transit" concept, Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit, at the University of West Virginia. Additionally, four companies would receive grants to develop automated systems to be demonstrated at Transpo '72. While these AGT systems ended up being popular with zoos, airports, and abroad, they failed to attract popularity among municipalities and planning organizations.^[5][6][7]

In the early 1970s pressure was mounting for a high-capacity rapid transit network for Detroit. In early 1972 Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA) and Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) commenced a study of such a network. During the study, it became apparent that automated people movers were useful in complimenting transit services, recommending systems for Downtown, Medical Center & Wayne State, Fairlane Town Center, Southfield, and Metro Airport. The study, released in 1974, would ultimately see realization as the QLine.^[8]

In 1975, following the failure to produce any large-scale development from the AGT program and increased pressure to show results, UMTA created the Downtown People Mover Program (DPM) and sponsored a nationwide competition that offered federal funds to cover much of the cost of planning and construction of such a system. UMTA reviewed thirty-five full proposals. From these, they selected proposals from Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Paul. In addition, UMTA decided they would approve proposals from Baltimore, Detroit, and Miami to develop People Mover systems if they could do so with existing grant commitments. Of the seven cities with UMTA approval for their People Mover proposals, only Detroit and Miami persevered to build and operate systems.^[5]

The Ford Motor Company was involved in one of the designs of the People Mover and had hired AlScott Service Company to design and build a room size working model of the system. This model was used for Ford's proposals in their attempt to build the system.^{[citation needed]} Ford previously developed the ACT, a rubber-tired monorail, which was exhibited at Transpo '72; a production version of the system ran at Fairlane Town Center in nearby Dearborn from 1976 to 1988.^[9][10]

The People Mover was intended to be the downtown distributor for a proposed city and metro-wide light rail transit system for Detroit in the early 1980s; however, funding was scaled back.^[11] President Gerald Ford had promised $600 million in federal funds. Plans included a subway line along Woodward Avenue that would turn into a street level train at McNichols and eventually go all the way to Pontiac, with additional rail lines running along Gratiot and a commuter line between Detroit and Port Huron. Inability of local leaders to come to an agreement led to the $600 million commitment being withdrawn by the Reagan administration, though plans for the People Mover still moved forward.^[12] At the time of planning, the system was projected to have a ridership of 67,700 daily.^[13]

During construction, the system was initially owned by the Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA).^[14] It was acquired by the Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC) on October 4, 1985. DTC was incorporated in 1985 as a Michigan Public Body Corporate for the purpose of acquiring, owning, constructing, furnishing, equipping, completing, operating, improving, enlarging, and/or disposing of the Central Automated Transit Systems (CATS). DTC was created by the City of Detroit, Michigan pursuant to Act 7 of Public Acts of 1967 and is a component unit of the City of Detroit and accounts its activity as per proprietary funds.^[15][16]

 

The Downtown People Mover opened on July 31, 1987.^[17] A ceremony was held the Financial District station, with appearances by Mayor Coleman Young and People Mover supporter Max Fisher. After opening speeches and awards, Young and Fisher cut a five-foot-long cake shaped like a People Mover car, and boarded the inaugural run. The train broke through a green ribbon accompanied by the simultaneous release of 10,000 balloons, also shaped like a People Mover car. A block party was hosted below on Larned Street, and the service was open to the public by 1:30 pm.^[18] That weekend trains were usually packed, with passengers waiting around 20 minutes to board at some stations. Transit officials controlled crowds, encouraging only taking one round-trip to let others ride. The system carried an estimated 2,000 passengers per hour on Friday and Saturday. Rides were free for the first week, with a $0.50 fare going into effect on August 8.^[19][20][21]

In the first year, an average of 11,000 riders used the People Mover each day; the one-day record was 54,648.^[22] Originally, the People Mover System was operated and maintained by UTDC on a month-to-month basis; DTC took over operations and maintenance on November 18, 1988.^{[citation needed]}

In October 1998, the implosion of the J. L. Hudson Department Store damaged part of the nearby People Mover track and forced the system to shut down. Limited service resumed in January 1999 with the system split into two lines: a "red line" running between Times Square & Millender Center, and a "green line" between Greektown and Cobo Center. Both lines were shortened by one stop in August of that year. In November 1999, the loop was restored, and Times Square station reopened.^{[citation needed]}

However, Grand Circus Park and Greektown remained closed to accommodate construction of Greektown Casino and the closure of the David Whitney Building.^[23][24]

Greektown station reopened in January 2000, following the casino's completion.^{[citation needed]} In April 2001, Grand Circus Park reopened, restoring service to whole system.^{[citation needed]}

During construction of Compuware World Headquarters, the Cadillac Center station was temporarily closed as part of the parking structure was built around it. The station remained largely untouched and unmodified, although the entrance was slightly expanded, and a walkway to the garage was added.

In 2002, the original Renaissance Center station was closed and demolished. This was part of a multi-year renovation of the Renaissance Center, in which concrete berms in front of the complex were removed to make it more inviting to the rest of downtown. The system ran limited service due to the gap in the track during construction, leading to a drop in ridership, before the new station and track opened on September 3, 2004.^[25][26][27] The original station's tile artwork was destroyed in the demolition, though its creator, George Woodman, designed a replacement work for the new station.^[28]

 

The Grand Circus Park station closed for renovations on August 16, 2014, as part of renovation work in the David Whitney Building.^[29] A new station lobby was added with a direct entrance to the building, and an elevator was added to provide step-free access. Trains continued to operate in a one-way loop, bypassing Grand Circus Park, for most of the station's closure, though the line was briefly split into two segments (with transfers at Millender Center) while part of the track was closed. The Grand Circus Park station officially reopened on June 13, 2015.^[30] A connecting QLine station was added shortly thereafter, opening with the system in May 2017.

 

The system originally ran counter-clockwise. It changed directions to run clockwise in August 2008, following a short closure to replace sections of the track. This change in direction was intended to reduce the time needed to connect between more popular destinations. The switch to clockwise also reduced the time required to complete the loop, as the route, run clockwise, has one short, relatively steep uphill climb, and then coasts downhill for most of the route, allowing trains to use gravity to accelerate.^[31]

In late December 2019, the People Mover tested counter-clockwise operation. The system began running counter-clockwise on weekends in February 2020, and then returned to counter-clockwise operation full-time on March 1.^[32]

The People Mover shut down on March 30, 2020, due to reduced ridership amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a planned 2021 reopening was postponed,^[33] the system resumed limited service on May 20, 2022, running six days a week, stopping at only six of the 13 stations (Michigan Avenue, Huntington Place, West Riverfront, Millender Center, Greektown, Grand Circus Park). Broadway and Financial District reopened thirteen days later on June 2,^[34] followed by Renaissance Center and Fort/Cass on September 14,^[35] Bricktown on November 21,^[36] Cadillac Center on May 23, 2023, and Times Square on June 26, 2023.^[36]

To attract riders, fares were initially waived from reopening day through August,^[37] and later extended through October 2022.^[38]

In October 2023, DTC announced that its administrative headquarters would move from the Buhl Building to the nearby Guardian Building.^[39]

In December 2023, DTC's board of directors approved a one-year pilot program to eliminate fares on the People Mover, supported by a large donation from a corporate sponsor. The program commenced on January 2, 2024,^[40] and following an evaluation of the program, in which it was found to have increased system ridership, it was extended through the end of 2025.^[41] Priority Waste, a waste management company based in nearby Clinton Township, was announced as the presenting sponsor in March 2024.^[42]

Also in December 2023, DTC announced plans to acquire railcars and other surplus equipment from the Toronto Transit Commission, following the decommissioning of the Scarborough RT, a similar system, the prior July.^[43][44]

The system's communication infrastructure was upgraded in early 2024, in preparation for expected large crowds during the 2024 NFL draft. Realtime tracking was added, and each station received upgraded public address and video surveillance systems,^[45] plus new passenger information displays and interactive kiosks.^[46][47] Color-changing lights were installed on guideway support columns along Larned Street and Grand Circus Park,^[48][49] and five stations received large exterior murals as part of the Detroit City Walls public art program.^[50]

 

The People Mover is currently free to ride, with no fares charged from January 2024 until at least the end of 2025, as part of a sponsored pilot program.^[40][41]

When fares were charged, the regular fare was $0.75 per trip, raised from $0.50 in November 2011.^[51] Fares were paid at turnstiles with quarters, or with tokens dispensed by vending machines in the stations.^[52] Children aged five and under were allowed to ride for free with a paying adult.^[53] Monthly and annual passes were sold for $10 and $100 respectively, available on the People Mover's website or at the agency's administrative office. Discounted tokens and passes were available for seniors and disabled riders.

In 2006, it was reported that the People Mover cost $8.3 million annually in city and state subsidies to run,^[54] and the system has drawn criticism for its cost-effectiveness.^[55] In every year between 1997 and 2006, the cost per passenger mile exceeded $3, and was $4.28 in 2009,^[56] compared with Detroit bus routes that operated at $0.82^[56] (for comparison, the New York City Subway operates at $0.30 per passenger mile). Edward Glaeser, in his 2011 book, Triumph of the City, referring to high cost of maintenance, calls the Mover "perhaps the most absurd public transit project in the country".^[57]

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy reported that according to a 2004 survey, fewer than 30% of the riders were Detroit residents and that Saturday ridership (likely out-of-town residents) dwarfed that of weekday usage.^[54][55]

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the People Mover generated about $1 million to $1.5 million in revenue annually from fares, conventions, and advertising space. In 2019, about 50% to 60% of riders were office workers in the downtown area, while others included weekend social riders, area residents, tourists, and convention-goers.^[37]

There have been proposals to extend the People Mover northward to the New Center and neighborhoods not within walking distance of the city's downtown. A proposal was put forward by Marsden Burger, former manager of the People Mover, to double the length of the route by extending the People Mover along Woodward Avenue to West Grand Boulevard and into the New Center area.^[58] New stops would have included the Amtrak station, Wayne State University, the Detroit Medical Center, and Henry Ford Hospital. The plan was proposed at a tentative cost of $150–200 million, and would have been paid for by a combination of public and private financing.^{[citation needed]}

Much of the proposed route to the New Center was ultimately adopted by the QLine streetcar, which opened in 2017.

 

The People Mover's fleet consists of twelve automated Intermediate Capacity Transit System Mark I cars, built by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation in Kingston, Ontario.^[59] The model is also used on the SkyTrain in Vancouver, and was also operated on the now-decommissioned Scarborough RT in Toronto.

The trains originally bore a white livery with green and yellow stripes. Beginning in the early 2000s, the cars began to be wrapped with advertisements; by the 2010s, every car was adorned with an ad wrap. They usually operate in two-car trains, but are not in married pairs, and are capable of operation as single cars.

DTC plans to replace the existing fleet with twelve used railcars of the same model from the Toronto Transit Commission.^[43][44] These railcars operated on the Scarborough RT until its closure, and were extensively refurbished and upgraded in the 2010s, allowing them a longer service lifespan than the People Mover's existing cars, despite being of similar age.^[60]

The purchase of these railcars was first announced in December 2023, and also includes surplus parts to repair the People Mover's existing vehicles in the interim. Delivery and integration of the newly purchased cars is expected to take 18 months, with the first of them slated to enter service in late 2025 or early 2026.^[61]

The People Mover's operations and maintenance facility is located at the Times Square station.^[62] Cars enter the garage via a siding, which branches off from the main line to a second platform at Times Square. This siding allows the system to be used in a two-way bypass manner when part of the circular track is closed. Maintenance equipment is lifted up to track level by crane, but not stored with the DPM cars.

 

The People Mover is owned and operated by the Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC), a public body corporate funded primarily by, but independent of, the Detroit city government.^[39]

The agency is currently headquartered on the 29th floor of the Guardian Building, near the Financial District station.^[63] It is governed by a six-member Board of Directors, which appoints an executive General Manager to oversee day-to-day operations.^[64][65] The Board consists of four officers from the Mayor of Detroit's cabinet, the president of the Detroit City Council, and the chair of the board of directors of SMART.

 

The People Mover is patrolled by its own dedicated police agency, the Detroit Transit Police, which operates as a division of DTC, independent of the Detroit Police Department.^[16]

From 2014 to 2024, the Transit Police were the primary law enforcement agency serving DDOT, providing police services on the agency's buses and at its transit centers.^[39][65][66] This contracted arrangement began in March 2014 in response to rising crime on buses, and a shortage of Detroit Police Department officers amid the Detroit bankruptcy.^[67] The Detroit Police took over DDOT police duties on July 1, 2024, with a newly formed division dedicated to transit operations.^[68][6]

The Transit Police also provided police services on the QLINE from the system's opening in 2017 until February 1, 2024, when those services were also transferred to the Detroit Police.^[68][69]

From 2022 to 2024, regular security patrols on the People Mover were conducted by private security guards, as the Transit Police were primarily dedicated to DDOT and the QLINE. DTC initially hired Detroit-based City Shield Security Services for the People Mover, before switching to Securitas in April 2023.^[16]

The system was designed to move up to 15 million riders a year. In 2008 it served approximately 2 million riders. This meant the system averaged about 7,500 people per day, about 2.5 percent of its daily peak capacity of 288,000.^[70][71] In 2006, the Mover filled less than 10 percent of its seats.^[54]

Among the busiest periods was the five days around the 2006 Super Bowl XL, when 215,910 patrons used the service.^{[citation needed]} In addition to major downtown concerts and sporting events, other high ridership times include the week of the annual North American International Auto Show in January and the Youmacon anime convention at the end of October, ever since the convention expanded in 2012 to use Huntington Place in addition to the Renaissance Center. The system had 92,384 riders during the 2014 extended con weekend.^[72]

In 1990, a train derailed at Cadillac Center after a manhole cover fell onto the track.^[74]

On January 22, 2015, at approximately 10:10 PM, one of the cars jumped a rail, hitting the platform at Times Square. No injuries were reported, and the system was shut down for 17 hours for an investigation. According to a DTC press release, a bracket beneath the train dislodged and caught underneath the rear car, causing the train to disengage from the track. A door was dislodged upon impact.^[75]

On May 15, 2016, 53-year-old Michael Whyte fell onto the track between the cars of a stopped train at Times Square. The train then departed automatically as normal, dragging Whyte along the track to his death. Following the incident, bollards were added to the system's platforms, preventing passengers from falling into the space between the cars.^[74] Whyte's family filed a lawsuit, alleging negligence on the part of DTC.^[76] Whyte's death is, to date, the only fatal accident in the People Mover's history.^[74]

 

The network has 13 stations. As the system runs in a one-way loop with a single track, each station only has one side platform, except for Times Square, which has a siding leading to the system's garage and an island platform.^[62]

Originally, the 13 stations were not planned to have any distinctive features. However, in 1984, after construction had recently begun, Irene Walt assembled a volunteer committee to persuade the project agency to include artwork in each station. Called the Downtown Detroit People Mover Art Commission (later known as Art in the Stations),^[77] they raised $2 million to finance the project. As a result, there are 18 new original pieces of art spread throughout the stations, plus a piece from 1903 that had previously been in storage, on permanent loan from the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The commission's efforts and art installation were documented in a 30-minute film, Art in the Stations, by Sue Marx and Pamela Conn, who had recently won an Academy Award for the short documentary Young at Heart.^[78] Art in the Stations premiered at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1989. In 2004, a coffee table book by Walt, also titled Art in the Stations, was published, with photographs by Balthazar Korab and information on all the station artwork and the artists who created them.^[79][80]

Art was completed with the system opening in 1987 unless otherwise noted:

• Grand Circus Park
  • Catching Up (Artist: J. Seward Johnson Jr – bronze statue)
• Times Square
  • In Honor of W. Hawkins Ferry (Artist: Tom Phardel / Pewabic Pottery – glazed tile)
  • Untitled (1993) (Artist: Anat Shiftan / Pewabic Pottery – tile mural)
• Michigan Avenue
  • Voyage (Artist: Allie McGhee – tile mural)
  • On the Move (Artist: Kirk Newman – cast bronze shape on tile)
• Fort/Cass
  • Untitled (Artist: Farley Tobin – tile mural)
  • Progression II (1993) (Artist: Sandra jo Osip – bronze sculpture)
• Huntington Place
  • Calvacade of Cars (1988) (Artist: Larry Ebel/Linda Cianciolo Scarlett – mural)
• West Riverfront
  • Voyage (Artist: Gerome Kamrowski – venetian glass mosaic)
• Financial District
  • 'D' for Detroit (Artist: Joyce Kozloff – hand painted ceramic mural)
• Millender Center
  • Detroit New Morning (Artist: Alvin D. Loving Jr. – painted glazed tiles)
• Renaissance Center
  • Dreamers and Voyagers Come to Detroit (Artist: George Woodman – ceramic tile mural; destroyed with original station's demolition in 2002)
  • Siberian Ram (1993) (Artist: Marshall Fredericks – cast bronze sculpture)
  • Path Games (2004) (Artist: George Woodman – ceramic tile mural)
• Bricktown
  • Beaubien Passage (Artist: Glen Michaels – bas relief on porcelain panels)
• Greektown
  • Neon for the Greektown Station (Artist: Stephen Antonakos – free form neon light display)
• Cadillac Center
  • In Honour of Mary Chase Stratton (Artist: Diana Kulisek Pancioli/Pewabic Pottery – tile mural interspersed with bronze plaque by Carlo Romanelli 1903)
• Broadway
  • The Blue Nile (Artist: Charles McGee – painted mural panels)
  • Untitled (Artist: Jun Kaneko – tile)

In 2024, the exterior walls of five People Mover stations were adorned with large painted murals, as part of the Detroit City Walls public art program.^[50]

• Michigan Avenue
  • A Peaceful Place (Artist: Kenyada Kelsaw – acrylic latex paint on Polytab cloth)^[81]
• Fort/Cass
  • Slice of Life in Detroit: Homage to the Working Class (Artist: Nicole Macdonald – spray paint)^[82]
• West Riverfront
  • Detroit Moves People (Artist: Nick Pizaña)^[83]
• Bricktown
  • Detroit Music Love (Artist: Anthony Lee – enamel and spray paint)^[84]
• Broadway
  • Welcome to Date Night in Paradise (Artist: Charles Martin Miller – latex paint on Polytab cloth)^[85]

Detroit People Mover is the title of a track by British electronic musician Squarepusher, from his 2020 album Be Up a Hello. The music video for the track was filmed on board the People Mover.^[86]

• Art on the Move
• List of rapid transit systems
• List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
• Metromover
• Transportation in metropolitan Detroit

• Official website
• YouTube.com: On-Ride Video of the Detroit People Mover
• National Transit Database profile of the Detroit People Mover