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Initial talk of a rail system in Detroit was far more ambitious than what has come to be -- at least for now.
But local leaders in the community look at the 3.3-mile rail system as just the start of something much bigger. The system officially launches May 12 in the evening.
John Gallagher of the Detroit Free Press reports:
A lot rides on the answer. If the QLine grows in popularity and sees robust ridership, that will produce greater demand for public transit in metro Detroit. The moribund Regional Transit Authority effort, defeated at the polls last year, may enjoy a better fate next time it asks voters to pay for a broader public transit system.
“When we started, we wanted to be a catalyst for regional transit,” Matt Cullen, CEO of the M-1 Rail that operates the QLINE, said on the trial run. “I’d say we have an incomplete, in that regard. We would have loved to see the RTA bill get passed last year, but we’re confident it will” in the future.
Rip Rapson, CEO of the Kresge Foundation, which contributed about $50 million to the $140 million or so it took to build the line, echoed that optimism.
Kresge’s money, he said, “is a down payment on a larger regional system. We’ve hit a couple of roadblocks, but that’s not going to stop us. We’re going to push forward and make sure this line becomes integral to a larger system.”
360-degree ride in the QLine operator cab from The Detroit News on Vimeo.
