QLine

QLine
QLine in Campus Martius
Overview
OwnerRTA
LocaleDetroit, Michigan
Termini
Stations20 stops (12 locations)
Websiteqlinedetroit.com
Service
TypeStreetcar
Operator(s)Transdev (2017–2021)
Directly operated (2021–present)[1]
Rolling stock6 Brookville Liberty Modern Streetcars
Daily ridership2,629 (2023, Jan. - Aug.)[2][3]
History
OpenedMay 12, 2017 (May 12, 2017)[4]
Technical
Line length3.3 mi (5.3 km)[4]
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead line or onboard lithium-ion batteries, 750 V DC
Operating speed30 mph (48 km/h)[5]
Route map
Map QLine highlighted in red
Grand Boulevard
Baltimore Street Detroit (Amtrak station)
Amsterdam Street
I-94.svg
I-94
Edsel Ford Freeway
Ferry Street
Warren Avenue
Canfield Street
Martin Luther King Boulevard/
Mack Avenue
Sproat Street/Adelaide Street
I-75.svg
I-75
Fisher Freeway
Montcalm Street
Grand Circus Park
Campus Martius
Congress Street

Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible

The QLINE is a 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) streetcar system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Opened on May 12, 2017, it connects Downtown Detroit with Midtown and New Center, running along Woodward Avenue (M-1) for its entire route.[4] The system was developed by M-1 Rail, a nonprofit organization, and is owned and operated by the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan.[6]

In December 2011, city and state leaders announced a plan to offer bus rapid transit service for the city and metropolitan area instead of light rail as had previously been proposed. Soon afterwards, M-1 Rail, a consortium of private and public businesses and institutions in the region, announced the plan for a streetcar line along part of the same route as the cancelled light rail plan, connecting the downtown Detroit People Mover to the Amtrak railway station in New Center and the proposed Ann Arbor–Detroit Regional Rail system. Rocket Mortgage (then known as Quicken Loans) bought the naming rights to the line, and announced the name in March 2016.[7]

  1. ^ "QLine streetcars on track to resume service in late summer". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  2. ^ Eric D. Lawrence (September 28, 2023). "QLINE ridership up in 2023: What annual report showed". Detroit Free Press.
  3. ^ Guillen, Joe (October 24, 2022). "QLINE ridership rebounds". Axios Detroit. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Lawrence, Eric D.; Allen, Robert (May 12, 2017). "All Aboard! Detroit's QLine Is Open for Streetcar Riders". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "FAQ". M-1 Rail. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "RTA to assume ownership of Detroit QLine streetcar". Trains. September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Lawrence, Eric D. (March 24, 2016). "Detroit's M-1 Rail Line Now to Be Called the QLINE". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 24, 2016.