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Granted, the M-1 Rail is only 3.3 miles long. But in a city hungry starved for better public transportation, it's touted a first step in what hopefully will be greater things.
With that in mind, Detroit Free Press Editorial Page Editor Stephen Henderson writes that he's quite disappointed with the streetcar system's branding:
“Ugh,” was all I could think when I saw the announced name for the M-1 Rail. The QLINE? Catching the Q? We could definitely have done better.
The name is a hat-tip to Quicken Loans, Dan Gilbert’s principal corporate entity, which ponied up $5 million to buy naming rights to the 3.3-mile line between downtown and New Center.
Which makes this a public train, of sorts, with a private name.
And that makes this about transit, as well – a concept and dynamic in this region with deep, layered history and implications. . . .QLINE is more than just a naming gaffe. At minimum, it’s a missed opportunity.
In the columnist's view, the name suggests "subtly, that this isn’t about that wider need for transit, or the people who so desperately need it."
