| Detroit People Mover | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Locale | Detroit United States |
| Transit type | People mover |
| Began operation | 1987 |
| System length | 4.7 km (2.9 mi) |
| No. of lines | 1 |
| No. of vehicles | 12 |
| No. of stations | 13 |
| Daily ridership | 7300[1] |
| Operator | Detroit Transportation Corporation |
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.[2] 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 with the closure of the one-mile trolley line in 2003.
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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.[3]
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.[4] In the first year, an average daily 11,000 riders used the People Mover with a peak ridership of 54,648, though ridership is lower today.[5]
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 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. Within the last five years, the advent of successful sports teams (Tigers / Red Wings), casinos and stadiums located in downtown Detroit, coupled with frequent conventions and the resurgence of downtown restaurants and nightlife, suburban riders now outnumber city patrons for frequent usage. The People Mover's transit police, surveillance technology and customer service contribute to the low incidence of crime throughout the system. 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.[6] Average ridership today is currently around 7300 people a day, still well below capacity of 24,000 an hour.[7][8] As of 2006, the Mover filled less than 10 percent of its seats and now costs $12 million annually in city and state subsidies to run.[9][10]
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.[11]
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 | 953,753 | Detroit Economic Growth Corporation |
| 2005 | 1,792,924 | Detroit Economic Growth Corporation |
| 2006 | 2,368,361 | Detroit People Mover[12] |
Stations
The DPM stops at 13 stations, 8 of which are built into pre-existing buildings. Each stations 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
Rolling stock
- Manufacturer: Urban Transportation Development Corporation (now Bombardier Transportation)
- Type: ICTS Mark I
- # of cars: 12 cars
- Maximum speed: 56 mph[2]
The system operates in 2 car pairs.
References
- ^ http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership/riderep/documents/07q1rep.pdf p13 as of 2007
- ^ a b http://www.thepeoplemover.com/Overview.id.26.htm
- ^ http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/dpmhist.htm
- ^ Wendell Cox. Analysis of the Proposed Las Vegas LLC Monorail. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
- ^ http://faculty.washington.edu/jbs/itrans/detroit.htm
- ^ Detroit Transportation Corporation
- ^ http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership/riderep/documents/07q1rep.pdf p13 as of 2007
- ^ http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430
- ^ http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061223/METRO/612230387/1003
- ^ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070721/BUSINESS06/707210343/1002/
- ^ Detroit News[1]
- ^ Dennis R. Green, Marketing Manager for Detroit People Mover, March 6, 2007.
See also
- Vancouver SkyTrain
- Toronto's Scarborough RT line
- List of rapid transit systems
- List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
External links
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| Detroit People Mover • Disneyland Monorail • JTA Skyway • Miami-Dade Metromover • Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit • Las Colinas APT System • Las Vegas Monorail • Seattle Center Monorail • Walt Disney World Monorail |
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