Detroit People Mover

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The Detroit People Mover is a 2.9 mile (4.6 km) driverless, fully-automated rapid transit system operating in a single-track, one-way loop through downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is not a monorail. A siding allows the system to be used in a two-way bypass manner when part of the circular track is closed.

Contents

1 History
2 Operations
3 Stations
4 Fleet
5 Criticism
6 See also
7 External links

History

Photo of People Mover exiting Ren Cen.

The system, opened in 1987, uses the same ICTS technology as the Vancouver SkyTrain and Toronto's Scarborough RT line.

Operations

The People Mover is run by the Detroit Transportation Corporation of the City of Detroit. It is not the same operator as the city buses, Detroit Department of Transportation.

Stations

The DPM consist of 13 stations with 8 of which are built into pre-existing buildings. The stations are well known for their unique designs and original artwork.

[Joe Louis Arena Station] - serves the Joe Louis Arena
[Cobo Center Station] - serves Cobo Hall
[Fort-Cass Station]
[Michigan People Mover Station]
[Times Square (People Mover Station] - serves the Detroit Transportation Center Operations and Maintenace Facilities
[Grand Circus Park People Mover Station]- serves the Comerica Park baseball stadium and the Ford Field football field, as well as the Fox Theatre
[Broadway People Mover Station] - serves the Detroit Opera House
[Cadillac Center People Mover Station] - serves Compuware and Campus Martius Park area
[Greektown People Mover Station] - serves the Greektown Casino
[Bricktown People Mover Station] - serves dance and jazz clubs
[Renaissance Center Station] - serves the Renaissance Center
[Millender Center Station] - serves the Marriott Hotel and parking center
[Financial District Station]

Fleet

Manufacturer: Urban Transportation Development Corporation (Bombardier Transportation)
Type: ICTS Mark I
# of cars: 12 cars

The system operates in 2 car pairs.

Criticism

The People Mover is the only local rail in Detroit with the closure of the one-mile trolley line in 2003. Detroit's close ties to the automobile industry are seen as the cause of its lack of convenient mass transit.

The People Mover is widely viewed as a failure with high cost, low ridership, and frequent need of repairs. In fiscal year 1999-2000, it had a ridership of 1.5 million, although the system has a theoretical capacity of 15 million. Daily ridership was only 5,000 people. The Detroit News that year computed that the city was subsidizing the system $3.00 for every $0.50 rider fare. Ridership expanded to 2.2 million in fiscal years 2001 and 2002. In October 1998, the implosion of the Hudson's building damaged the track, closing the People Mover completely for two months. Full service was not restored until November 1999, more than a year later. Renovation at the General Motors headquarters at the Renaissance Center kept the People Mover from offering full-circuit operation for two years from September 2002 to September 2004.

A major cause of the system's low ridership is the relatively short distance it travels. Many feel that, in its present form, the People Mover does not fill a vital transportation need, as many of its stops are within walking distance of each other. There have been occasional proposals to extend the People Mover northward to the New Center and other areas not within walking distance of the city's downtown. These have yet to come to fruition. Suburban visitors also tend to shy away from the People Mover, partly because of the short distance it travels, partly because of the sometimes irrational fear of crime suburbanites have in Detroit -- the People Mover has occasionally been dubbed the "People Mugger" or "Mugger Mover".

When the system was under construction there was some controversy over the steel being used: it was stamped in South Africa, which was still governed under apartheid. Detroit is and was a majority-black city; the steel was replaced at significant expense.

External links

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