Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

Detroit People Mover

The Detroit People Mover is a 2.9 mile (4.6 km) automated people mover system which operates a single-track, one-way loop through the central business district of downtown Detroit, Michigan. It uses Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit 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 People Mover is run by the Detroit Transportation Corporation of the City of Detroit, which is not part of the Detroit Department of Transportation, operator of the city's transit buses. The People Mover is the only local rail in Detroit.

History

The Detroit People Mover has its origins in a federal bill in 1966, when the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) was created by Congress to develop new types of transit systems. In 1975, following failure to produce any large-scale results, and increased pressure to show results, UMTA created the Downtown People Mover Program (DPM), sponsoring a nationwide competition, offering federal funds for most of the costs of planning and construction of any such system. After selecting proposals from four other cities, UMTA recommended Detroit, Miami, and Baltimore be permitted to construct systems, but only if they could do so with existing grants. Though the four selected cities withdrew from the DPM Program, Miami and Detroit persevered in the construction of their planned systems, eventually being the only systems to be built.

The system opened in 1987 using the same technology as Vancouver's SkyTrain and Toronto's Scarborough RT line. The People Mover was intended to be the downtown distributor for a proposed $600 million city and metro-wide light rail transit system for Detroit in the early 1980s committed by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; however, after his re-election defeat the plans and most of the money offered was lost, and then area politicians never fully agreed on a future for the system. At the time of planning, the system was projected to have a ridership of 67,700 daily. In the first year, an average daily 11,000 riders used the People Mover with a peak ridership of 54,648, though ridership is one-tenth of that today.

Cost effectiveness

The People Mover operates at high cost for its level of ridership. The system was designed for a maximum capacity of 15 million riders annually, yet in fiscal year 1999-2000 The Detroit News computed that the city was subsidizing the system $3.00 for every $0.50 rider fare. The system has also had costly repairs throughout its history. In October 1998, the demolition of the Hudson's building damaged the track, closing the People Mover completely for two months, with full service not restored until later the following year. Renovation at the General Motors headquarters at the GM Renaissance Center kept the People Mover from offering full-circuit operation for two years from September 2002 to September 2004.

One of the most successful periods of ridership occurred during the 2006 Super Bowl XL, when 215,910 patrons used the service during the five-day event.

Average ridership is currently about 7,500 people per day, about 2.5 percent of its capacity of 288,000. As of 2006, the Mover (which costs $12 million annually in city and state subsidies to run) fills less than 10 percent of its seats.

Expansion

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. A proposal has been 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. New stops would include the Amtrak station, Wayne State University and the cultural center, the Detroit Medical Center, and the Henry Ford Hospital. The plan would tentatively cost $150-200 million, and would be paid for by a combination of public and private financing.

Ridership

Year	Riders	Source
1996	2,048,900	Motown Tranzit
1997	1,711,000	Motown Tranzit
1998	1,989,100	Motown Tranzit
1999	763,000	Motown Tranzit
2000	1,485,900	Motown Tranzit
2001	2,370,000	Detroit News
2002	2,186,600	Motown Tranzit
2003	1,267,900	Motown Tranzit
2004	932,400	APTA
2005	1,792,900	APTA
2006	2,368,300	APTA
2007	2,320,600	APTA

Stations

The DPM stops at 13 stations, 8 of which are built into pre-existing buildings. Each station has its own original artwork.

Joe Louis Arena Station - serves the Joe Louis Arena
Cobo Center Station - serves Cobo Center
Fort-Cass Station
Michigan People Mover Station
Times Square People Mover Station - is located in the Detroit People Mover Operations and Maintenance Facilities, which includes an an architectural installation of tile from the Pewabic Pottery.
Grand Circus Park People Mover Station- is located in the David Whitney Building and serves the Comerica Park baseball stadium, the Ford Field football stadium and the Detroit Opera House, the State Theater and Fox Theatre
Broadway People Mover Station - serves the Detroit Opera House and the Harmony Park area. It is located in the downtown YMCA and is the closest station to Ford Field football stadium.
Cadillac Center People Mover Station - is located in the Compuware complex and serves the Campus Martius Park area
Greektown People Mover Station - serves Greektown and is located in the Greektown Casino
Bricktown People Mover Station - serves a district of restaurants and music clubs on the east side of downtown and the Wayne County Building
Renaissance Center Station - is located in Renaissance Center and serves the General Motors world headquarters building
Millender Center Station - is located in the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel and parking center and serves the Coleman Young City-County Building
Financial District Station is located in the Madden Building