QLINE23

Detroit Rock CityQLINENoel Night Detroit

Trying Kiss Detroit Rock City rum // Randy's first QLINE ride // New shops?

Happy Wednesday! Engineer Randy Walker is in the studio today filling in for Norris Howard who is on the road this week. 00:56 – We try Kiss – themed Detroit Rock City rum. Because why not? 05:39 – Randy’s lived in the city of Detroit proper for about a year now, but the other night was his first QLINE experience, and although in the region for years his first Noel Night. We talk about it. 12:13 – There’s a series of shops teased to come to downtown Detroit, we discuss. 20:05 – Engin...

HOV lanesQLINEPublic Transit

HOV Lanes coming // QLINE ridership up // Move to or invest in Detroit

Detailed show notes to come. * Norris makes the point about backing up your words with actions about moving to the city or investing in it if you have strong opinions about it or want the benefits as a listener wonders about library cards for non-residents * We talk about rising QLINE ridership and why that’s a good thing, and the surprising statistics as part of it * Plus, HOV lanes look like they’re coming to I-75 in Southern Oakland County. Good, bad, indifferent?  * And the worst f...

CalexicoGrand Army of the Republic buildingQLINE

New restaurant by a Top Chef; GAR castle sold + more

Man about town and Mr. Friday Devon O'Reilly is here for all things fun on Friday. We're talking about the possibility of what's going into the old Calexico space at Woodward and Gratiot. It looks like a celebrity chef with a Chicago restaurant. The historic Grand Army of the Republic Building (GAR) has sold. We discuss what's next, including a steakhouse. The QLINE is starting a park and ride trial for those coming downtown. And, we have a question for you where our wonderful and connected...

DetroitIndianapolisIndyGO

LISTEN: How Indianapolis Funded Mass Transit, Stayed Alive In Amazon HQ2 Sweepstakes

If you listened to our recent episode on Amazon’s snub of Detroit (and you totally should), you’ll recall that the inclusion of Indianapolis among the 20 finalists for its HQ2 project was the topic of some surprise. Well, one of the reasons they made it was their efforts to develop 50 miles of Bus Rapid Transit and other improvements. So we sent our correspondent Shianne Nocerini down to Indiana’s capital city to talk with Brian Luellen, vice president of public relations for IndyGo, the ci...

DetroitNorth endQLINE

Signs Seem To Be Pointing To More QLINE Routes In Detroit

It’s not hard to think that there is a concerted push for more QLINE routes, especially in Greater Downtown. It’s important to watch because when they focus, what major funders want they often get in this town and money starts to appear. The latest hint of a new QLINE route would be from downtown to the old Michigan Central Train Station, as Matthew Maroun (the son of Billionaire Matty Maroun) hinted in a long interview interview with Crain’s as part of their coverage for their Homecoming ev...

Downtown DetroitNorth endQLINE

New Report Shows QLINE Service Improvements, Ridership On The Rise

A new report from the parent organization of Detroit’s streetcar says that the new QLINE streetcar service is making improvements following several opening glitches, expected growing pains and complaints from riders. M-1 Rail, the QLINE’s operating organization, has been working with the streetcar’s operator, Transdev North America, on service improvements for about a month now. Those have resulted in more riders, shorter waits and better coordination with traffic signals. Ridership on the Q...

DetroitDevelopmentdowntown detroit partnership

PODCAST: What's Next For Downtown Detroit? We Talk With Eric Larson Of The DDP

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/dailydetroithappyhour/DD-22-Happy_hour_Larson_mixdown.mp3″ image=”/content/images/wordpress/2017/07/eric-larson-daily-detroit.jpg” social_gplus=”false” social_linkedin=”true” social_email=”true” twitter_username=”TheDailyDetroit” ] Downtown Detroit continues its remarkable transformation, with more and more foot traffic, construction sites sprouting like weeds and new businesses opening up on the reg. On this episode of the Daily Detroit Hap...

Free RidesimprovementsMilwaukee Junction

QLINE Extends Free Service Through Labor Day, Plans To Make Service Improvements

Free rides and service improvements are on the horizon for Detroit’s streetcar. That’s the word today as the QLINE has announced that riders will continue to get free fares for the remainder of the summer. Riders will be able to ride the QLINE for free until Monday, September 4. To make the balance sheet work, the Kresge Foundation has offered to cover the fares for QLINE riders from July 1 through September 4. The foundation is the largest funder of the QLINE project. “The QLINE holds muc...

DetroitMilwaukee JunctionOpinion

QLINE, I Love You But We Need To Talk

At first, you hear the warm voice of Carmen Harlan. “Grand Circus Park, brought to you by Chevrolet” the recorded message assures the passengers. Next, you hear some weird, garbled digital voice finishing the sentence, telling you about the attractions at that stop. That contrast is exactly the QLINE today. We wanted to step back, let some kinks work out, and then add something. Optimistically, one could think hey, it’ll take some time to iron things out. We’re now a month in, and the...

freeQLINEQLINE ridership

QLINE Gets Nearly 50,000 Riders On Opening Week, Extends Free Rides Through July 1

The QLINE opened on May 12, and officials at M1 Rail are sharing that initial ridership for the QLINE has “exceeded … projections.” “We couldn’t be more pleased with the enthusiastic reception the QLINE received from riders during our first week,” said M-1 RAIL CEO Matt Cullen in a statement.. “We significantly exceeded our initial ridership projections. Residents of the Woodward Corridor, Detroiters from across the city and visitors throughout SE Michigan helped make this weekend a success an...

Free RidesQLINE

The QLINE Steetcar Is Adding A Week Of Free Rides

Although numbers won’t be out until next week, anecdotal evidence has been that the QLINE has been very busy since it launched for the public on Friday. Two of our writers used the QLINE to get to the office Friday and come back and it was still packed in the evening; on Saturday, doing interviews, almost every train for the couple of hours we were out was visually full. There have been some initial issues. The unexpectedly high ridership has caused delays. Two of the streetcars were pulled...

How to ride the QLINEQLINEQLINE tips

12 Tips For Riding The QLINE

After years of planning, construction and testing the QLINE is a real thing. We were able to hop on the QLINE for a preview of the service, and I thought I’d share some tips and answers to questions we got during a Facebook live stream we did. Here are our twelve tips for riding the rails up and down Woodward. 1. The QLINE streetcars differ from a bus in a number of ways The QLINE streetcars need to travel along the rail that has been built along Woodward. They also at some intersection...

Milwaukee JunctionNorth endQLINE

QLINE's Wi-Fi To Be Provided By Local Firm Rocket Fiber

When you ride the Q-LINE streetcar, you’re going to have free access to Wi-Fi at stations and as you ride. It’s going to be provided by Rocket Fiber, a company based in Detroit. The services include network-based technology to incorporate into the QLINE main office at the Penske Technical Center and public Wi-Fi at the stations and trains. Rocket Fiber is doing the design, build, operation and management of the network, including future maintenance and support. Nerds Xpress, a local minority...

DetroitQLINESpeed

Detroit's QLINE Streetcar Could Go Much Faster. Here's What Needs To Happen

One of the most anticipated – and debated – additions to Detroit’s streets is that of the QLINE. That’s the 3.3 mile long streetcar that begins service down Woodward Avenue on May 12. One of the early complaints about the QLINE online is the speed of the streetcar. End to end, it takes about 25 minutes (as timed by our riding it today). Here’s the thing. It could go much faster, if there were more governmental cooperation. It turns out the speed of the streetcar isn’t as much limited by mech...

Milwaukee JunctionQLINESafety tips QLINE

QLINE Releases Two New Videos With Driver, Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety Tips

The folks at the QLINE have released two short videos that are full of tips on how to handle the addition of the streetcar to Woodward Avenue between the Central Business District and New Center. Above we’ve embedded the video around driver safety. One thing to note if you haven’t noticed is that the QLINE is going to have a special streetlight that will let it go forward in front of traffic to make the situation where the streetcar is switching from curbside to the center of the road easier....

M1 RailQLINE

Park or wait in the way of the QLINE? You could face a $650 fee

It’s going to take a little while for people to get used to having a streetcar going up and down Woodward. Even though the tracks are in place, it’s commonplace to see delivery trucks, people standing waiting for people, and other traffic activity people are used to doing on a road that doesn’t have a streetcar. But it looks like people are going to have to learn fast. According to a statement released by M1-Rail, if you park in the way of the streetcar – even in testing phase – you’ll be faci...

Detroit streetcarM1 RailQLINE

Detroit streetcar stations begin to take shape, new rendering released

If you’ve been driving down Woodward in greater downtown Detroit, you may have noticed that there are now platforms and partial shelters sticking out of various places. They’re for the QLINE, Detroit’s new streetcar. On Thursday a new rendering was released for the stations for the streetcar line. They look very modern, with an information screen and a glowing light bar. The stations will be 98-by-12 foot and made of glass and concrete. They will be Wi-Fi enabled, heated and equipped with se...

Detroit streetcarM1 RailQLINE

Installation Of The Track Is Now Complete For Detroit's New Streetcar, Woodward On Schedule To Reopen

Detroit hasn’t had a streetcar in a long, long time. More than half a century. Soon, we’re going to be able to see them going down Detroit’s central street once again. Word this week is that the QLINE reached an important milestone today as construction crews welded the final pieces of rail, completing installation and connection of what is 6.6 miles of track (as it’s technically a 3.3 mile loop) on Woodward Avenue. “Today marks the end of QLINE track construction,” said M-1 RAIL CEO Ma...