1625987 - The Detroit People Mover Today

Abstract: The Detroit People Mover opened in 1987 and it was intended to be the downtown distributor for a proposed $600 million city and metro-wide rail transit network. Since the regional system was not built, ridership projections for the people mover have never been met. Another factor in the low ridership was an economic downturn in the automotive industry with the resulting impact on downtown development. The much-maligned system was recently described as bad transit but a great tourist attraction. However, there has been a renewed optimism in Detroit with automobile innovation, downtown development, the Woodward Avenue QLIne streetcars, and numerous other projects, and the people mover may become the important transportation link that was originally envisioned. This presentation will provide a history of the development of the Detroit People Mover, its unique features, operations, and future challenges.