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It's a simple name, and also a little catchy.
The branded name of the M-1 Rail streetcar line in Detroit is QLine, chosen by lead corporate underwriter Quicken Loans to use its name's first letter .
Dan Gilbert's mortgage company and M-1 executives Thursday announces the tag and unveil a snazzy logo. Its stylized Q has a long, descending "tail" that represents the angled Woodward route that runs 3.3 miles.
It's among several names trademarked by the lender Quicken, as first reported by Crain's Detroit Business last year. Quicken Loans paid $10 million for naming rights on the $137-million project.
Seemingly needless help for anyone who's tongue-tied comes in an Opportunity Detroit blog post, which says the name is "pronounced Q-Line" -- perhaps to avert the humiliation of saying "Cue-Line" or "Kew-Line." (We've asked what alternative pronunciation they envisioned.)
“The launch of QLine marks a significant moment in the development of Detroit," say Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans, according to Robert Snell of Crain's. "Quicken Loans is proud to play our part in the beginning stages of modernizing the transit system in our burgeoning urban core.”
Trips between West Grand Boulevard and Congress downtown are due to start early next year, with 12 stops in each direction.
When the naming process began last fall, we invited readers' suggestions. These are among our favorites:
- The Woodie -- Andy Covell, Warren
- The Quickie -- Eric Phillips
- Desire -- Tim Pamplin, WDIV reporter/cameraman
Skeptics and naysayers proposed The Debacle, The Mile to Nowhere, The Money Pit and the Woodward Halfspeed Automatic Train and Fruit Operation Rail (the WHAT FOR).
Nominations from construction-weary Detroiters include The PITA (Pain in the Ass), The Obstacle and De Tour.
All aboard with this magnetic stripe fare card.
