The QLINE has aced its tests, and now it is ready to go out and start serving the people of Detroit, officials said.
The QLINE, Detroit’s new streetcar system, will celebrate its grand opening on Friday, May 12 with a special event at the Penske Technical Center. The Grand Opening event will begin with a morning press conference featuring elected officials and dignitaries and will be followed by an inaugural first-ride down Woodward Ave. QLINE will open to the public on Friday evening.
M-1 RAIL also is seeking volunteer ambassadors for the QLINE Grand Opening Celebration. By providing guest services support through engagement with the public, residents become the face of the QLINE brand. Officials are looking for volunteers for the grand-opening weekend.
“QLINE’s grand opening will be a historic day in Detroit,” M-1 RAIL CEO Matt Cullen said in a statement.
“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.”
M-1 RAIL owns and operates the QLINE, a 6.6-mile circulating streetcar loop serving 12 locations on Woodward Ave. from Downtown Detroit through Midtown, New Center and the North End. The QLINE is the first major transit project led and funded by private businesses and philanthropic organizations, in partnership with local, state and the federal government.
Construction on the line began in July 2014. QLINE made its first test run on Woodward in December 2016 and the streetcar system has gone through over 1,000 tests in preparation for operations.
M-1 RAIL kicked off a public education campaign with the first in a series of safety videos, helping Detroiters get accustomed to coexisting with the new system. The video is available at: https://m-1rail.com/qline-testing-spread-the-word/. M-1 RAIL also continues convening public meetings to discuss streetcar safety and answer questions about the QLINE. Businesses wishing to participate in grand opening ceremonies can get more information and sign-up on the M-1 RAIL website.
The three-piece, articulated cars are 66 feet long and carry 125 passengers on average. They will travel the maximum speed on Woodward — 35 m.p.h. — and stop for traffic lights. QLINE streetcars are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), allowing for station-level access for pedestrians, and persons who use mobility assist devices such as wheelchairs. The modern streetcars are wi-fi enabled with vertical back racks and a heating and cooling system. The cars are powered by a 750-volt lithium ion battery, operating 60% off-wire, the highest percentage of any streetcar system in the United States.
The QLINE will operate from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.- midnight on Friday, 8 a.m. -midnight on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday.
M-1 RAIL seeks volunteers, riders for its grand-opening celebrations May 12 added by TheHUB on
View all posts by TheHUB →
