QLine going public

[Tig3rzhark]

I can't wait.

After all of the construction,legislation, and testing, this streetcar is finally going to be available to the public this month.

The fare's reasonable, hopefully it will allow you to transfer to and from DDOT and SMART. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

I hope things go well enough to deserve an extension. Because it's going to need it. It's understandable that it was a public-private partnership, hence the name "QLine".

The difference between this and BRT is that BRT can easily be removed at anytime. I highly doubt that with the potential for the QLine to extend all the way to Pontiac that people would disagree for it to be expanded to Pontiac.

I believe that the trip would be much more faster between Detroit and Pontiac than it would be on a SMART Express bus. It would save SMART the trouble of having a Woodward express bus. And it would also would be good that should the RTA proposal be placed on the ballot in 2018 and pass, that it could find a way to provide transit police for the QLine and provide 24 hour service.

Please provide more thoughts on the issue. And share your experiences when you first get on the QLine this month.

[Scottathew]

Very exciting! During my lunch I've been biking and walking the Q-Line route in anticipation.

I really hope that it gets extended to Pontiac and also becomes grade-separated outside of densely populated areas, in hopes that it can become MORE desirable than cars to get between the city and suburbs.

[Bigdd]

I believe that the trip would be much more faster between Detroit and Pontiac than it would be on a SMART Express bus. It would save SMART the trouble of having a Woodward express bus.

Light rail lines are nearly as fast as a car when they have their own track,.. fenced off from everything else.

But when they share the road with other traffic.,,... and have lots of stops like buses,.. they can be even slower than the bus, as they can't drive around traffic.

I too hope it's a success,.. unlike Dallas and other places that overestimated ridership by 3-4 times and only end up building a tiny fraction of the proposed routes.

[dtowncitylover]

Oh boy, another transit thread...

[Scottathew]

Oh boy, another transit thread...

LOL, that's the same way I feel about sports threads.

[emu steve]

LOL, that's the same way I feel about sports threads.

The QLine will help fans get to LCA, home of the Red Wings and Pistons.

And Comerica Park. Have I touched all the bases? Lol.

[EGrant]

I'm excited to hop on the QLine from downtown and head to Midtown for lunch and dinner. I fully understand this is not meant to be some hyper-efficient mode of mass transit, but rather a way to connect two of the most vibrant areas in the city.

[royce]

The only reason to ever extend the Q-Line will be to replace the D-DOT Woodward bus. Also, I am hoping that after all of the problems it will face on the southbound side, that it will be revamped and placed in the second lane like it is on the northbound side, returning all of those lost on-street parking spaces. In addition, if it doesn't replace the D-DOT bus, then any extension needs to go along Grand Boulevard heading up to the Motown Museum.

At its present incarnation, the Q-Line is nothing more than a smoother-riding means of transportation for tourists and the those wanting to get from Midtown to Downtown and vice versa. People coming in to see a ball game at any of the stadia are not taking the Q-Line unless they live along its route. Despite all of my apprehensions, I am looking forward to using it when it comes on line.

[KJ5]

I can't wait to ride the Woodward bus, watch it leave the Qline in the dust and listen to the other passengers laugh at how stupid white people are.

[One Shot]

I can't wait to ride the Woodward bus, watch it leave the Qline in the dust and listen to the other passengers laugh at how stupid white people are.

Ill be laughing regardless of skin color. This thing is gonna be interesting. Drivers downtown can't/won't follow basic traffic laws let alone special ones around a street car.

[emu steve]

ProfessorScott [[anyone):

Was this line built on the Portland model [[hope I got that right)?

If so, what have transportation planners learned from it?

[gumby]

I can't wait to ride the Woodward bus, watch it leave the Qline in the dust and listen to the other passengers laugh at how stupid white people are.

Wow, racist much?

[dtowncitylover]

Ill be laughing regardless of skin color. This thing is gonna be interesting. Drivers downtown can't/won't follow basic traffic laws let alone special ones around a street car.

There's the true Detroit regional spirit we know and love!

I mean it's going to be equally funny when a bus driver thinks he can beat the streetcar and destroys a bus in the process.

[EastsideAl]

Very exciting! During my lunch I've been biking and walking the Q-Line route in anticipation.

I really hope that it gets extended to Pontiac and also becomes grade-separated outside of densely populated areas, in hopes that it can become MORE desirable than cars to get between the city and suburbs.

Of course, we already had a perfectly good, mostly grade-separated, rail line that went directly from downtown to Pontiac with a limited number of useful stops that was in regular use until relatively recently. Hey, whatever happened to that line?

[ekleezy]

I'd much rather see more lines added in the greater downtown area before extending to Pontiac. Hopefully both can happen eventually, but I'm more interested in seeing Detroit become a city where it's considered easy to get by without a car like other major cities.

[the rock]

I'd much rather see more lines added in the greater downtown area before extending to Pontiac. Hopefully both can happen eventually, but I'm more interested in seeing Detroit become a city where it's considered easy to get by without a car like other major cities.

The Q line from Pontiac to Detroit? At its pokey pace, it would probably take 3 hours with all the stops. Does not sound very practical.

[professorscott]

ProfessorScott [[anyone):

Was this line built on the Portland model [[hope I got that right)?

If so, what have transportation planners learned from it?

Steve,

To some extent, yes. Portland was one of the cities we visited when we were trying to figure out how to make this work. The Portland Streetcar is, hands down, the slowest public transportation vehicle I have ever seen outside of New York crosstown buses, but it is enormously popular. We were trying to come up with something that would not be as slow but would serve some of the same purposes.

We studied and visited other cities as well, but it is fair to say that Portland was one of the inspirations for a lot of the design choices. I believe it was Dallas that pioneered the use of off-wire streetcar operations, which QLine is taking far beyond what Dallas did with it. I believe QLine is the first electric streetcar in North America that will run off-wire for over 50% of its length.

[Shai_Hulud]

I understand that the Amtrak station is on Baltimore, but three stops within half a mile seems like waste to me.

[ndavies]

Of course, we already had a perfectly good, mostly grade-separated, rail line that went directly from downtown to Pontiac with a limited number of useful stops that was in regular use until relatively recently. Hey, whatever happened to that line?

They paved it over for the dequindre cut bike path. [[at least the southern end of it.)

[KJ5]

Wow, racist much?

Full disclosure: I'm Caucasian myself

[professorscott]

Of course, we already had a perfectly good, mostly grade-separated, rail line that went directly from downtown to Pontiac with a limited number of useful stops that was in regular use until relatively recently. Hey, whatever happened to that line?

Relatively recently? Hey, Al, you must be my age I believe passenger service on that line ended in 1983.

[Lowell]

QLine will be free for opening weekend

I notice from the below QLine is employing a "trust but verify" philosophy on tickets. I'm wondering if that is like what I encountered when I stayed in Germany. You buy a ticket but don't present it when boarding. You just get on. Inspectors randomly enter the buses/trams and require all to show their tickets. No ticket=a fine. Saves time and confusion. Worked there, wondering if it will here.

"The QLine streetcar, which begins passenger service on May 12, unveiled its fares this week.

The basic walk-up ride costs $1.50 for three hours. A day pass is $3. Up to three children under 44 inches tall may ride with a paying passenger.

A senior fare is 75 cents. A monthly pass is $30 and a yearly pass $285.

To buy a ticket, riders can use a credit or debit card only at the line's 20 stations, or pay cash-only at on-board kiosks. Payment also will eventually be available via a QLine app.

The streetcar is employing a "trust but verify" philosophy on tickets. Eventually Detroit transit police will be checking passengers to ensure they've paid, QLine officials said.

The streetcar's normal hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 6 a.m. to midnight on Fridays; 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays."

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...pening-weekend

[emu steve]

I'd much rather see more lines added in the greater downtown area before extending to Pontiac. Hopefully both can happen eventually, but I'm more interested in seeing Detroit become a city where it's considered easy to get by without a car like other major cities.

I'll toss out an idea I haven't seen discussed here before:

IF QLine is expanded, I'd like to see another line, QLine2, which bisects it [[hope that is the word) and runs from beyond Belle Island [[on E. Jefferson) through Woodward and continue along Michigan Ave. westward for say another 3 miles.

My thought being is that it would strengthen E. Jefferson and also boost Michigan Ave. which has unrealized potential.

The E. Jefferson leg would be a no-brainer. It should be a real shot in the arm for that part of the city.

QLine because it will not be fast like a subway system, is best for those who wish to travel up to 3 miles en lieu of driving/parking. It is essentially for convenience and cost [[cheaper to pay the QLine fare than pay downtown parking).

[clubboss]

QLine will be free for opening weekend

I notice from the below QLine is employing a "trust but verify" philosophy on tickets. I'm wondering if that is like what I encountered when I stayed in Germany. You buy a ticket but don't present it when boarding. You just get on. Inspectors randomly enter the buses/trams and require all to show their tickets. No ticket=a fine. Saves time and confusion. Worked there, wondering if it will here.

"The QLine streetcar, which begins passenger service on May 12, unveiled its fares this week.

The basic walk-up ride costs $1.50 for three hours. A day pass is $3. Up to three children under 44 inches tall may ride with a paying passenger.

A senior fare is 75 cents. A monthly pass is $30 and a yearly pass $285.

To buy a ticket, riders can use a credit or debit card only at the line's 20 stations, or pay cash-only at on-board kiosks. Payment also will eventually be available via a QLine app.

The streetcar is employing a "trust but verify" philosophy on tickets. Eventually Detroit transit police will be checking passengers to ensure they've paid, QLine officials said.

The streetcar's normal hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 6 a.m. to midnight on Fridays; 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays."

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...pening-weekend

I’ve never heard the phrase “trust but verify”, however, as explained, it’s the same procedure used in southern California. Along those lines [[pun), who are the "inspectors", also known as, fare enforcement officers, the transit police?
In San Diego for example, riding hot [[no ticket, and not a dime in their pocket), would get you a $75.00 ordinance infraction, second time is a misdemeanor, with the fine up to $500.00.
Ticket Please...

[casscorridor]

I’ve never heard the phrase “trust but verify”, however, as explained, it’s the same procedure used in southern California. Along those lines [[pun), who are the "inspectors", also known as, fare enforcement officers, the transit police?
In San Diego for example, riding hot [[no ticket, and not a dime in their pocket), would get you a $75.00 ordinance infraction, second time is a misdemeanor, with the fine up to $500.00.
Ticket Please...

do we really need more ARMED forces in our city? I think a non-uniformed employee can issue the penalty fares just fine.