Entering Renaissance Center station
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Overview | |||
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Locale | Downtown Detroit | ||
Transit type | People mover | ||
Number of lines | 1 | ||
Number of stations | 13 | ||
Daily ridership | 6,000 (2014) | ||
Annual ridership | 2,413,414 (2015) | ||
Headquarters | 535 Griswold Suite 400 Detroit, Michigan 48226 |
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Operation | |||
Began operation | 1987 | ||
Operator(s) | Detroit Transportation Corporation | ||
Number of vehicles | 12 | ||
Technical | |||
System length | 2.94 mi (4.73 km) | ||
Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | ||
Electrification | Third rail | ||
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The Detroit People Mover is a 2.94-mile (4.73 km) automated people mover system which operates on a single track, and encircles Downtown Detroit, Michigan.
The Woodward Avenue Light Rail line, later officially named the "Qline", beginning construction in late July 2014, will serve as a link between the Detroit People Mover and New Center Amtrak station with its current service and proposed SEMCOG Commuter Rail, plus additional access to DDOT and SMART bus routes as part of a comprehensive network of transportation in metropolitan Detroit.
The People Mover uses UTDC ICTS Mark I technology and the cars are driverless. A siding allows the system to be used in a two-way bypass manner when part of the circular track is closed.
The Detroit People Mover has its origins in 1966, with Congressional creation of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) to develop new types of transit. In 1975, following the failure to produce any large-scale results 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.
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.