The People Mover derailed!

**getmoore** · January-23-15, 01:49 AM

That had to be terrifying!

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...ails/22198605/

**Honky Tonk** · January-23-15, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by getmoore

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...ails/22198605/
That had to be terrifying!

Wow........

**Zacha341** · January-23-15, 03:26 AM

I'm doing some volunteer work at the NAIAS and avoided the people mover Wednesday evening thinking it might have some problem on the ice. I guess I was not crazy after all!!!!

**Honky Tonk** · January-23-15, 05:29 AM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

I'm doing some volunteer work at the NAIAS and avoided the people mover Wednesday evening thinking it might have some problem on the ice. I guess I was not crazy after all!!!!

Debatable.......

**TTime** · January-23-15, 05:34 AM

How is everyone going to get to work? There will be tens of employees stranded unless they figure out a way to walk 2 blocks.

**Honky Tonk** · January-23-15, 05:37 AM

Originally Posted by TTime

How is everyone going to get to work? There will be tens of employees stranded unless they figure out a way to walk 2 blocks.

The yupsters are all tex'n Uber Cars......

**mikeg19** · January-23-15, 06:30 AM

Let's be honest. It was 10pm on a Thursday night. There was probably a total of 4 people on the train, if that.

**Gpwrangler** · January-23-15, 07:11 AM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

Let's be honest. It was 10pm on a Thursday night. There was probably a total of 4 people on the train, if that.

There were 3 people on it.

How can something "derail" when it's on tires? Then again, look at some of the threads on here...

**Honky Tonk** · January-23-15, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by Gpwrangler

There were 3 people on it.

How can something "derail" when it's on tires? Then again, look at some of the threads on here...

Damn, beat me to it.

**gumby** · January-23-15, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by Gpwrangler

There were 3 people on it.

How can something "derail" when it's on tires? Then again, look at some of the threads on here...

Ummm, it is not on tires, there are rails.

**Jimaz** · January-23-15, 09:18 AM

Earlier WWJ reported the PM was back up and running and free today.

Just now they reported it's completely shut down.

**TKshreve** · January-23-15, 09:47 AM

I'll never ride that thing again. It's a little too "vintage" at this point. No thanks!

**Lowell** · January-23-15, 09:57 AM

I can see the rail from the DetroitYES office. It is indeed not running in spite of broadcasts I have heard to the contrary. I frequently ride the PM and that is the station where I usually debark.

From the picture it doesn't appear that bad but it made me wonder about going around the big curve behind Cobo along the river.

This is both bad and sad news. The Auto Show is one of the week's where the system makes a lot of sense and might break even. But it is not surprising. The cars are getting very old and the system is in need of updates from the cars to the stations to the token system. But where will be the incentive for making this expensive changes to a system that operates at a deficit in a cash-strapped city? Get the state to take it over as state park?

If one spends a fair amount of time downtown, as I do, it is a great convenience and I am a big fan of it. With rising parking and ticket costs combined with greater residency I was hoping it might finally be vindicated maybe even break even. But who knows. This promises to be a major setback if psychological only.

**davewindsor** · January-23-15, 11:18 AM

WOWZER! I took the PM a few minutes before that one leaving the auto show. The PM was full of people.

**mkhopper** · January-23-15, 12:00 PM

Given the squealing and gnashing metal sounds coming from under the trains, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.

**wolverine** · January-23-15, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by TKshreve

I'll never ride that thing again. It's a little too "vintage" at this point. No thanks!

You may want to avoid other transit systems in big cities running trains 10 years older. Heck only two years ago did Chicago retire vehicles from the late 60's. They went into service 20 years prior to the people mover and were not AG, which has led to some pretty nasty crashes. Not so much this derailment which is nothing more than a minor incident comparatively

**Danny** · January-23-15, 02:29 PM

There goes Coleman Young's soul train to nowhere.

**401don** · January-23-15, 03:05 PM

Why anyone pays for parking downtown other than for work I have no idea. I consider the PM a very convenient .75 ride to the free Greektown garage.

**canuck** · January-23-15, 03:32 PM

As Wolverine says, at this point, some older systems still do well in spite of old rolling stock. The oldest Montreal subway cars date from 1966-7.

These kinds of accidents are bound to happen.

Busses do it, Metros do it, even educated taxis do it...

**Lowell** · January-23-15, 07:34 PM

It's back up and running.

**ABetterDetroit** · January-23-15, 08:16 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

Why anyone pays for parking downtown other than for work I have no idea. I consider the PM a very convenient .75 ride to the free Greektown garage.

Shhhh... What are you doing don? Didn't we already go over this? Don't just put it all over the Internet. Half these guys are building a case to be afraid to ride it, which is fine with you and me. Uh...yeah everyone else your right it felt like a friggin death trap the other day, stay away because it's dangerous. Yes thats it, Very very dangerous and old! Park close for gods sake it's just a couple more bucks.

DetroitBoy · January-23-15, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

Shhhh... What are you doing don? Didn't we already go over this? Don't just put it all over the Internet. Half these guys are building a case to be afraid to ride it, which is fine with you and me. Uh...yeah everyone else your right it felt like a friggin death trap the other day, stay away because it's dangerous. Yes thats it, Very very dangerous and old! Park close for gods sake it's just a couple more bucks.

How old is the people mover? It has to be more than 20 yrs. Wasnt it closed for awhile when everything was boarded up downtown except the city hall?

**Gistok** · January-23-15, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitBoy

How old is the people mover? It has to be more than 20 yrs. Wasnt it closed for awhile when everything was boarded up downtown except the city hall?

It's been open continuously except after the Hudson's implosion in 1998, then it was closed for a number of months before reopening part way with cars going back and forth to the year long closed portion.

As to how long it's been open.... 1987.

**Lowell** · January-24-15, 02:50 AM

After the fall when the dust cloud settled we saw a beam from Hudson's lay across it by the Skillman Library. That section had to be rebuilt. I also recall it running during repair, perhaps a single car going back and forth. Anybody else remember how it functioned?

**Honky Tonk** · January-24-15, 06:29 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

After the fall when the dust cloud settled we saw a beam from Hudson's lay across it by the Skillman Library. That section had to be rebuilt. I also recall it running during repair, perhaps a single car going back and forth. Anybody else remember how it functioned?

After the Hudson building demo, part of the track was damaged by falling brick. They did run the People Remover, but instead of a full circle, they ran it back and forth like the letter "C".