Detroit People Mover
| Detroit People Mover | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Entering Renaissance Center station. |
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| Background | |||
| Locale | Downtown Detroit | ||
| Transit type | People mover | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 13 | ||
| Daily ridership | 7,083 | ||
| Annual ridership | 2,328,084 (FY 2011) | ||
| Headquarters | 1420 Washington Boulevard Detroit, Michigan 48226 |
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| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 1987 | ||
| Operator(s) | Detroit Transportation Corporation | ||
| Number of vehicles | 12 | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 2.9 mi (4.7 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 2.9-mile (4.7 km) automated people mover system which operates on a single set of tracks, and encircles downtown Detroit, Michigan.[1]
The city's elevated light-rail system, the People Mover is operated by the Detroit Transportation Corporation of the City of Detroit. It is an important asset for business travelers, tourists, residents, and downtown workers.
The Woodward Avenue Light Rail line, beginning in 2013, will serve as a link between the Detroit People Mover and SEMCOG Commuter Rail with access to DDOT and SMART buses as part of a comprehensive network of transportation in metropolitan Detroit.[2]
It 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.
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[edit] History
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. Selecting proposals from four cities, the UMTA recommended that Detroit, Miami, and Baltimore be permitted to construct systems, but only if they could do so with existing grants. Though two of the four selected cities ultimately withdrew from the program, Miami and Detroit persevered to build theirs.[3]
The People Mover was intended to be the downtown distributor for a proposed city and metro-wide light rail transit system for Detroit in the early 1980s; however, funding was scaled back.[4] At the time of planning, the system was projected to have a ridership of 67,700 daily.[5]
The system opened in 1987 using the same technology as Vancouver's SkyTrain and Toronto's Scarborough RT line. In the first year, an average of 11,000 riders used the People Mover each day; the one-day record was 54,648.[6]
When the People Mover opened, it traditionally ran counter-clockwise. In August 2008, the system changed direction and is now running clockwise permanently, although it can run in both directions when necessary. The change in direction reduced the time required to complete one round-trip.[7]
[edit] Cost-effectiveness and use
The cost-effectiveness of the Mover has drawn criticism.[8] In every year between 1997 and 2006, the cost per passenger mile exceeded $3, and was $4.26 in 2009,[9] compared with Detroit bus routes that operate at $0.82[9] (the New York City Subway operates at $0.30 per passenger mile). The Mackinac Center for Public Policy also charges that the system does not benefit locals, pointing out that fewer than 30% of the riders are Detroit residents and that Saturday ridership (likely out-of-towners) dwarfs that of weekday usage.[10] The system was designed to move up to 15 million riders a year. In 2008 it served approximately 2 million riders. In fiscal year 1999-2000 the city was spending $3.00 for every $0.50 rider fare, according to The Detroit News. In 2006, the Mover (which costs $12 million annually in city and state subsidies to run) filled less than 10 percent of its seats.[10]
Among the busiest periods was the five days around the 2006 Super Bowl XL, when 215,910 patrons used the service.[11] In 2008, the system moved about 7,500 people per day, about 2.5 percent of its daily peak capacity of 288,000.[12][13] The Mover costs about $12 million annually.[14]
[edit] Expansion
There have been proposals to extend the People Mover northward to the New Center and neighborhoods 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.[15] 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.[16]
[edit] Operations and Maintenance
The People Mover system's operations center is located at the Times Square Station. Housed in the same complex is the system's maintenance facility and storage of the cars in an indoor facility.[17] Cars enter south turnout to enter the maintenance facility and exit from the north turn out back onto the main track. Maintenance equipment (work cars, etc...) are lifted up to track level by crane, but not stored with the DPM cars.
[edit] Work Cars
Work cars are not maintained or owned by DPM, but by contractors[18]:
- three car Loram rail grinding set (8 stone L-Series Specialty Rail Grinders)
[edit] 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[19] |
| 2005 | 1,792,900 | APTA[20] |
| 2006 | 2,368,300 | APTA[21] |
| 2007 | 2,320,600 | APTA[21] |
| 2008 | 2,059,600 | APTA[22] |
| 2009 | 2,161,300 | APTA[23] |
| 2010 | 2,216,200 | APTA[23] |
| 2011 | 2,328,084 | Detroit Transportation Corporation |
[edit] Stations
The DPM stops at 13 stations, eight of which were built into existing buildings. Each station has original artwork. As the system is single tracked, the stations only have a single platform setup.
| Station | Location |
|---|---|
| Broadway Station | Broadway and John R. Street (downtown YMCA) |
| Grand Circus Park Station | Park Street & Woodward Avenue (David Whitney Building) |
| Times Square Station | Grand River Avenue & Times Square |
| Michigan Avenue Station | Michigan Avenue & Cass Avenue |
| Fort/Cass Station | Fort Street & Cass Avenue |
| Cobo Center Station | Cass Street & Congress Street (Cobo Hall) |
| Joe Louis Arena Station | 3rd Street & Jefferson Avenue (Joe Louis Arena) |
| Financial District Station | Larned Street & Shelby Street (150 West Jefferson) |
| Millender Center Station | Millender Center Apartments |
| Renaissance Center Station | Renaissance Center |
| Bricktown Station | Beaubien Street & East Fort Street |
| Greektown Station | East Lafayette Street (Greektown Casino) |
| Cadillac Center Station | Gratiot Avenue & Library Street |
[edit] Public Art
Each station has a piece of artwork(s) created by various artists:
- Times Square
- In Honor of W. Hawkins Ferry (Artist: Tom Phardel / Pewabic Pottery - glazed tile)
- Untitled (Artist: Anat Shiftan / Pewabic Pottery - tile mural)
- Michigan Ave
- Voyage (Artist: Allie McGhee - tile mural)
- On the Move (Artist: Kirk Newman - cast bronze shape on tile)
- Fort/Cass
- Untitled (Artist: Farley Tobin - tile mural)
- Progression II (Artist: Sandra jo Osip - bronze sculpture)
- Cobo Center
- Calvacade of Cars (Artist: Larry Ebel/Linda Cianciolo Scarlett - mural)
- Joe Louis Arena
- Voyage (Artist: Gerome Kamrowski - venetian glass mosaic)
- Financial District
- 'D' for Detroit (Artist: Joyce Kozloff - hand painted ceramic mural)
- Millender Center
- Detroit New Morning (Artist: Alvin Loving Jr - painted glazed tiles
- Renaissance Center
- Siberian Ram (Artist: Marshall Fredericks - cast bronze sculpture)
- Bricktown
- Baudien Passage (Artist: Glen Michaels - bas relief on porcelain panels)
- Greektown
- Neon for the Greektown Station (Artist: Stephen Antomakos - free form neon light display)
- Cadillac Center
- In Honour of Mary Chase Stratton (Artist: Diana Kulisek/Pewabic Pottery - tile mural interspersed with bronze plaque by Carlos Romanelli 1903)
- Broadway
- The Blue Nile (Artist: Charless McGee - painted mural panels)
- Grand Circus Park
- Catching Up (Artist: J. Seward Johnson Jr - bronze statue)
[edit] Rolling stock
- Manufacturer: Urban Transportation Development Corporation (now Bombardier Transportation)
- Type: ICTS Mark I
- # of cars: 12 cars
- Maximum speed: 56 mph[1]
The system operates in 2 car pairs.
[edit] See also
- List of rapid transit systems
- List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
- Toronto's Scarborough RT line
- Vancouver SkyTrain
- Transportation in metropolitan Detroit
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Detroit People Mover - Overview
- ^ Ann Arbor - Detroit Regional Rail Project SEMCOG. Retrieved on February 4, 2010.
- ^ The Downtown People Mover Program
- ^ Phillipp Oswalt. "Shrinking Cities,". p. 93. http://www.shrinkingcities.com/fileadmin/shrink/downloads/pdfs/WP-Band_III_Detroit.pdf. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
- ^ Wendell Cox. "Analysis of the Proposed Las Vegas LLC Monorail". p. 14. http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-lvmono-0006.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
- ^ Detroit downtown peoplemover, advanced automated urban transit
- ^ Detroit People Mover Reopens and Makes Changes
- ^ http://www.mackinac.org/9137
- ^ a b http://www.speroforum.com/a/49326/Pricey-pensions-for-Detroits-rollercoaster-for-rich-people
- ^ a b People Mover grows up
- ^ Detroit Transportation Corporation
- ^ http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership/riderep/documents/08q1rep.pdf p13 as of 2008 12,000/hour * 24 hours/day = 288,000/day
- ^ Luczak, Marybeth (1998). "Is there people-mover in your future?". Railway Age. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n7_v199/ai_20996430.
- ^ People Mover grows up
- ^ DetroitPeopleMover2
- ^ Detroit News[1]
- ^ http://subwaynut.com/detroit/times_square/index.php
- ^ http://www.thepeoplemover.com/resource/attach/28/DTCrailgrindingtechSpecMar102of3.doc
- ^ American Public Transportation Association, APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2005.
- ^ American Public Transportation Association (APTA), APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2006.
- ^ a b American Public Transportation Association, APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2007.
- ^ American Public Transportation Association, APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report, Fourth Quarter 2008.
- ^ a b "APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report, Q4 2010" (PDF). American. Federal Transit Administration. 8 March 2011. http://apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2010_q4_ridership_APTA.pdf. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
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