Detroit: A Tale of Two Weird Rail Systems

[@cwshawk]

All the best to the other two riders who are in the Federal Witness Protection Program

[@MilesinTransit]

The effect I use to blur their faces is called "Witness Protection" in my editing software!

[@jk484]

Why are they blurred out?

[@MirkoC407]

@@jk484 Seems to be the latest trend - do the stupidity to align witha youtuber for a video shot without actually agreeing to be shown in a video. I'm too intelligent to understand that probably.

[@WilliamThorsson-zg4yy]

Fun fact: the People Mover's stations are video monitored. I was standing on the yellow line one time when there was no train approaching, just looking around, and a voice came over the speakers in the station telling me to stand back. It was alarming, but it's nice to know someone is looking out!

[@MilesinTransit]

This happens to me at the end of this video!

[@Jamestube8439]

It’s happened to me many times too, even for filming at the station

[@bayersbluebayoubioweapon8477]

They yell at me all the time for drinking on the train

[@Jamestube8439]

@@bayersbluebayoubioweapon8477 Yeah they don’t like people to have food or drinks either. Which I think is a little extreme

[@bayersbluebayoubioweapon8477]

@@Jamestube8439 they only have 10 transport officers with police powers so you can do whatever

[@wittenbergdave]

11:35 the track was enclosed through Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Hall) maybe 20 years ago.. I remember going to the Detroit Auto Show as a kid in the 90s and seeing the train pass overhead every few minutes, and from the train you could catch a glimpse of the exhibits as it passed through.

[@MilesinTransit]

Whoa, that's REALLY cool

[@myself248]

THEY ENCLOSED IT?!?!? I guess it's been a while since I rode it....

[@xpdev0]

It's surreal to hear the Old TTC Door Chime in Detroit of all things, nostalgic for Toronto/Scarborough people but unreal for people in America

[@Kipling45]

yea

[@WahlstedToronto]

You can say that again...

[@WCE107]

It also has the next station jingle of Vancouver's SkyTrain. And is also driverless like it. Like a little mixture between the SkyTrain and Line 3.

[@secretagentcat]

@@WCE107 some of the cars in detroit are literally from the skytrain. the city bought some from an iteration IIRC. i may be tripping but i know detroit ordered new cars recently and they looked like the sky trains

[@someonenew3478]

Detroit recently bought Toronto's cars but usnt using them yet.

[@matthewpeloza9249]

The building it goes through if the convention center formerly called Cobo Hall. You used to be able to see down to the convention hall floor while passing through. The extra loop outside it used to service Joe Louis Arena which has since been replaced by Little Ceasers Arena. The people mover was always business before or after an event at the arena circulating people from downtown bars and restaurants to and from the games.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

The Detroit Institute of Arts was designed by Paul Philippe Cret, who migrated to teach at UPenn, who was also the architect of the National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge in the 1910s and even the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the 1920s! The Majestic Theatre and Fox Theatre were both designed by C. Howard Crane who worked on St Louis's Fox Theatre, DC's Warner Theatre, and the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre (demolished in 2014) in London. The Detroit Public Library on the other hand was designed by Cass Gilbert who worked on NYC's Woolworth Building, the US Supreme Court in DC, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia. The QLine is definitely useful, besides serving the university, Fox Theatre, and Little Caesars Arena (where the NBA's Pistons also play), Grand Circus Park station is walking distance to the Tigers and Lions stadiums as well! I visited Detroit back in Spring Break 2019 for a FIRST robotics world championship and when I was there, I loved downtown, Detroit-style pizza is honestly my favorite style of pizza (and I say this as a NYer born to NJ parents) and it definitely has a lot of potential! The DPM is a circulator because it was meant to have different rail lines as feeders in the original ambitious plan, but it and the suburbs couldn't decide on anything for the 600 million promised by Gerald Ford, and so only the circulator got built and the money was withdrawn by Reagan. So the QLine built in 2017 is a step closer to that vision. Something worth mentioning is Detroit has tried many times to build a subway or an L, like in 1920 when the proposal was vetoed by the mayor, the vote for it was put off the ballot last minute in 1927, 72 percent rejected it in 1929, 68 percent approved in 1933 but the government refused to fund it...yeah.

[@MilesinTransit]

Man, that's so sad how close they got...multiple times! :(

[@sentrygl]

​@@MilesinTransit suburban politician racism killed many different proposals up Woodward Avenue including even a subway proposal that existed well into the 80s. The real issue with Detroit transit is that the jobs are in the suburbs and the lines aren't built to take people there.

[@ShoumikKundu]

Aye nice to see fellow FIRST Alum, I was at that championship too!

[@TakenTook]

Thank you for pointing out that Ronald Reagan withdrew funding needed to complete the line. It was certainly a bipartisan disaster, but there are people who want to blame everything wrong with Detroit only on Democrats, and that is absolutely not the story.

[@mergat2970]

You are literally everywhere

[@harpsarp66]

DETROIT MENTIONED!!!!

[@Crate70]

Can have shit in Detroit

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

That giant Canadian flag across the river at 11:55 weighs approximately 45 kilograms and is 1,800 square feet, 18.24 meters wide and 9.12 meters tall with a 150 foot-flagpole! The Great Canadian Flag built in 2017 as the result of an ambitious community project chaired by Peter Hrastovec. Thomas McDade, a Windsor citizen, has been credited for coming up with the idea in 1980. If anything, Detroit should respond by building a flagpole that's even taller and has a bigger flag than the Canadian one, it's the American thing to do! It reminds me of the flagpole war of the DMZ. South Korea built a 100 m/328 ft flagpole in Daeseong-dong in the 1980s. In response, the DPRK built an even taller flagpole in Kijong-dong at 525 feet or 160 meters. After the DPRK built this flagpole, it was the world's tallest flagpole for quite some time! But since then, places like Jeddah, St. Petersburg, Dushanbe, and the New Administrative Capital in Egypt have built even bigger flagpoles. The station signs have Arabic because Metro Detroit has a huge Middle Eastern community! Dearborn's sizeable Arab community consists largely of Lebanese people who immigrated for jobs in the auto industry in the 1920s, and of more recent Yemenis and Iraqis. Renaissance Center used to be the site of SEMTA Commuter Rail's downtown terminus at Brush Street. SEMTA began in 1974 when it assumed control of the Grand Trunk's existing commuter trains over the route but ceased operations in 1983. The Renaissance Center was first conceived by Henry Ford II, the Ford Motor Company Chairman of the time. In 1970, to bring his idea to life, Ford teamed up with other business leaders to form the Detroit Renaissance to stimulate building activity and revitalize the economy of Detroit. Henry Ford II sold the concept of the RenCen to the city. The principal architect was John Portman, the architect behind Atlanta's Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel and Peachtree Center and Los Angeles's Westin Bonaventure Hotel. The first phase opened in 1977, two more towers were added in 1981, and GM wouldn't purchase it until 1996.

[@KyrilPG]

I don't know the size of it but there's also the giant flag that's not on a pole but suspended under the arches of the Arc de Tfiomphe in Paris. It's either a French or EU flag, depending on the moment, or both together. Never knew about the DMZ flag rivalry, thanks for the info.

[@ztl2505]

If the backrooms had a transit network it would be the DPM

[@dacomputernerd4096]

As a metro Detroit resident, this made me laugh. A few places around here feel a bit like the backrooms lol

[@xheralt]

In the DPM's defense, it carries a lot more people during events (baseball, football, hockey, conventions, trade shows), its utility is much more apparent then.

[@MilesinTransit]

Even so, the one-way-ness makes it hard!

[@CAPDude44]

Sadly it doesn't even really work for sports anymore, because the Joe Lewis Arena is gone

[@johngaltline9933]

@@MilesinTransit If it was a longer route, it might, but as short as it is, it's a non-issue. You get on, and a full loop is only 14 minutes. On the other hand, the Q line has destinations, but no starting points. It's unhelpful for folks driving in, as if you're paying for parking anyway, you may as well just park at whatever venue you're going to. For locals, walking is faster than taking the Q. It's a pretty public transit system that cost millions and added nothing.

[@johnnguyen6159]

Granted the People Mover only goes in a single direction only around Downtown, but the frequency is reliable and you normally don't have to wait anymore maximum 5 minutes if that. The Qline on the other hand is pretty unreliable, you can be waiting either a couple of minutes up to like 40 minutes.

[@kberkstr]

That’s my main issue as a local user, the People Mover is the same no matter what. Always like a ten minute wait max. But I’ve waited up to 30 minutes for the Qline, and have gotten stuck on a stopped train when an entitled doordash driver parks on the tracks. For most suburbanites who are visiting, it incentivizes people to drive instead

[@sentrygl]

Honestly feel like the Qline set back local transit

[@MilesinTransit]

Good point about the QLINE - we were heading back to the hotel one night and one of the streetcars wasn't running, so there was a 30-minute gap in service. We just took the 4 instead.

[@OrechTV]

8:33 European here. The "People mover" is famous even here, it is the most strange / quirky transit system I know of . One way but automatic? Elavated, stations too close, you basically go nowhere and somewhere you can walk easily ? .... it is over-invested and under-invested in the same time? ^_^ .. pretty good frequency but nobody uses it? Also .. huge platforms and stations but tiny/short trains. I mean so many wonderful contradictions. I would love to ride it one day. What a strange gem for transit nerds! :) Detroit could make it as an attraction for transit tourists as well. You do not have such thing elsewhere

[@DetroitDevelopmentDrone]

They honestly need to permanently remove a couple of the more redundant stations. There's a few that are only a block or two apart and it's just a waste of time to have a stop there. The most useful station is West Riverfront, since it's behind the convention center and connects several residential towers on the waterfront that would otherwise be pretty cut off from the rest of downtown. Grand Circus is also kind of useful since there's a direct transfer with the streetcar there.

[@TakenTook]

It was supposed to be part of a larger system, with that first and still remaining portion being a proof of concept as well as central hub. There was state as well as federal funding in place to expand it, but President Ronald Reagan withdrew the funding when it wasn't used while Jimmy Carter was was still in office.

[@nikkiapressley6489]

To actually live here and be born near the downtown area and to see it being displayed on KZbin, this it's surreal!!! I love the beautiful downtown Detroit area!!! ❤❤❤❤

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

Other lines that traverse through buildings are Chongqing's Line 2 and the WDW Monorail! Liziba station on the Chongqing's Line 2 goes through a 19-story residential building and uses specialized noise reduction equipment to isolate station noise from the surrounding residences! Contemporary Resort station on the WDW monorail is in the resort's Grand Canyon Concourse where you can see a giant Grand Canyon-themed mural by Mary Blair (who worked on movies like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan as well as the It's a Small World ride) inside the resort's concourse, and it's known for having a five-legged goat which was done on purpose by Blair to show that nothing can ever be perfect for we are human. The resort was designed with modular rooms constructed off-property and lifted into place by crane between steel frames. It makes sense for Line 2 to be a monorail because of Chongqing's insane terrain. And here's some Detroit pizza lore: Detroit-style is similar to deep dish but it's rectangular! Its car industry is why Detroit style pizzas are shaped rectangular! It was invented in 1946 at a place called Buddy's by Gus Guerra. Gus was searching for a high-end pizza pan to create the perfect pizza until he realized something. Detroit's auto assembly plants used blue steel utility trays used to hold parts (like nuts, bolts, etc). For these plants, they were just a thing to hold parts...to Gus, it was a Sicilian-like deep dish pizza.

[@cooltwittertag]

the U Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park station in berlin is also partially in a mixed use building, one half of it sticks out the middle of the building

[@Redline1986]

The people move may not be used much, but during conventions, game days, and parking for a night in Bricktown or Greektown, it is an absolute godsend. I can't tell you how many times it has gotten me out of paying $20 plus for parking. The one-way loop is a bit annoying, but hey, at least it smells and looks clean most of the time.

[@JacksonBetz]

0:54 "All right... It's a streetcar!" is my new favorite Miles in Transit one-liner, surpassing even "Lancaster... Pennsylvania!"

[@JacksonBetz]

2:27 wow that bowling alley is phenomenal! I love the little bowling pins on the street-facing side of the individual letter tiles!!!

[@JacksonBetz]

2:58 holy CRAP that theater is even better than the first one!!!!!

[@JacksonBetz]

4:02 "this is gonna be fun" ties directly into my theory that the more fun something is for transit fans, the worse it is for the public haha

[@JacksonBetz]

6:29 what country was this shot filmed in?

[@JacksonBetz]

8:17 story of a girl

[@Skip6235]

I grew up in Detroit and now I live in Vancouver. The sound of those LIM trains accelerating is so soothing. That being said, those Mark I trains are SO LOUD!!

[@halenlindberg]

Being on a Mark I train when it goes through the tunnel between Columbia and Sapperton in New West will make your ears bleed. Even worse when it's warm and people open the windows

[@robertcartwright4374]

That is a loud stretch, for sure. Also some of the mk.1 trains have loose panels that make a terrific racket. But I'm going to miss them when they go. I've fallen in love with their look. If they'd only made the Expo line with 100 metre platforms so we could have 8-car trains, they'd be perfect.@@halenlindberg

[@dave.lenton]

I know people who worked on this product! The LIM-based rapid transit carries a few really neat technological advantages: 1. really tight curves (vertical and horizontal) that's how you made the turn inside the road intersection. 2. quiet. Detroit's system is old. Compare to the new Vancouver or Kuala Lumpur SkyTrains, with newer vehicles, for a better vibe. 3. the LIM means snow and ice don't stop operation, it doesn't matter if wheels slip when the wheels aren't what make the train go. 4. substantially lower civil costs. LIM is much MUCH lighter than rotary motors. That translates to less concrete and steel in your structures. 5. headways. Detroit operates every 7.5 minutes, but the system can go tighter (Vancouver's max in 75 seconds!) This means you can run more small trains per hour, instead of fewer big trains, to get the same throughput. That means smaller stations. Thanks for featuring it :)

[@riceexe]

As someone from Scarborough, I miss the propulsion sounds of the Mark I trains. Funny that we sold our remaining RT cars to Detroit for 1 million dollars

[@ahuman9143]

Shows that you still could have a Line 3 if the TTC umm maintained it… also line 3 was in a far better shape than Londons Central line where almost half its trains have died…

[@riceexe]

@@ahuman9143 Yeah if the tracks were redone and the trains had another overhaul the line probably could've made it to 2030. Or even better, fix the curves, add some heated rails and purchase some new trains. But of course, politics happened, and we're getting a subway, throwing away all the existing infrastructure

[@swimmln]

I don't watch Miles in Transit for the humour (usually it's for the high quality water fountain and elevator reviews). But I just about died when the PA operator called you out for being close to the edge. Great video Mr. in Transit!

[@MilesinTransit]

Thanks so much! Glad we can provide the high quality niche reviews you're looking for 😂

[@Nderak]

timestamp

[@MilesinTransit]

@@Nderak 12:39

[@AustinTierney]

For context the Detroit people mover was a loop designed to support multiple radial lines running out to the suburbs (much like Chicago). As the county governments couldn’t agree on where to build them and financing (this also happened during the white flight period of detroits history so some suburbs were extremely against the idea of expanding transit outside of Detroit). When the region couldn’t decide the end outcome was Detroit taking the federal money to build section in downtown hoping the rest would follow. TLDR: Reason for the people mover being confined to downtown in a loop is due to Nimbyism from multiple counties in the area.

[@lawrencesobczak9729]

The People Mover was supposed to be the downtown circulator for 4 subway lines that were supposed to be built starting in the mid-1970s. President Ford yanked the funding for that part of the system when the region argued about funding it. Say what you want but Detroit actually got their part of the system built. The Q-Line was championed by the owner of Rock Financial (and a few others) who were responsible for a lot of redevelopment downtown.

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

It was Ford that promised 600 million, though Reagan was the one who yanked it

[@Knightmessenger]

Ford offered the funding initially, it was Reagan who yanked it.

[@pandfcm]

[REDACTED] and [EXPUNGED] seem nice, I hope we see more of them

[@MilesinTransit]

Ooh, I like [EXPUNGED]

[@EngMadison]

Love watching this after my town just approved a transit system which is...a one way bus loop-circulator with 30-60 minute frequency. Yay!

[@MilesinTransit]

Oof :( I'm surprised they didn't go with a "microtransit" thing, that's what seems to be all the rage right now!

[@EngMadison]

@MilesinTransit no, they were looking to replace their city owned taxi service which was going to get very expensive. So they contracted the neighboring city (Madison) to provide bus transit. Except they looked at boarding trends of their taxi service and connected the dots...that's basically how the system was created. So now we have a system that does not serve downtown, or major employment, and requires at least 1 transfer and 60+ minutes to get downtown Madison despite being the next city over. It's absolutely bare bones stuff.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Another urban peoplemover system is the Bukit Panjang LRT and Punggol LRT in Singapore. For starters, they call it an LRT when it's very much not. They chose to build a people mover (while cheaper to build, it costs more to operate than the Singapore MRT) with very low capacity in an extremely dense area like Bukit Panjang (you'd need three of the LRT cars connected together just to match the capacity of a single MRT car; they're two connected together). The accessibility is very bad as even if stations have elevators, they're useless when you can't cross the very busy roads to the stations without going up steps. The ride isn't comfy because of all the twists and turns (which makes the system unreliable), basically a roller coaster. And I've seen Twitter accounts post about how cool the windows are on the Bukit Panjang LRT because they're special panels made to block people's apartments when they're not cool, it's quite silly and they often don't work like they're supposed to, sometimes leaving the whole car opaque! For Punggol, the developments there were built around the Punggol LRT. Plans for the Punggol LRT line were drawn up and announced in January 1999 with the development of Punggol New Town. Construction began in June 2000 by a consortium at a cost of S$354 million. Meanwhile, the Punggol LRT line was awarded to Singapore Bus Service (present-day SBS Transit) in May 1999. The East Loop opened in 2005, however, due to limited developments around some stations on the loop at the time, only certain stations opened. Meaning that they built all these stations in 2005 and opened them only when there were developments. In January 2005, all East Loop stations except Oasis (2007) and Damai (2011) opened. In June 2014, West Loop except for Sam Kee (Feb 2016), Teck Lee, Punggol Point (Dec 2016) and Samudera (March 2017) opened. Teck Lee has remained closed since, but will open in 2024 because of the Punggol Digital District.

[@crystalbrooke75]

Wow, so cool to see Singapore mentioned here! I always wonder what Miles and friends would think of Singapore public transport (I’m an American living in SG for many many years, and I think SG public transport is amazing.) Miles, please come to Singapore and review the transit system… if you can stand the heat! 🥵

[@alexhaowenwong6122]

I've been on the Punggol and Sengkang but not the BPLRT. My main issue with the Punggol and Sengkang LRTs is that due to interlining at the MRT interchange, they're limited to 3 minute frequencies. I also think they should have ran 4-car Crystal Movers like in Macau.

[@IainHendry]

Great video! The reason the DPM vehicles have the "Toronto" chime is because it's actually the UTDC Chime! UTDC, or Urban Transit Development Corporation, was the Ontario Provincial Crown Corporation which developed ICTS, or Intermediate Capacity Transportation System - the vehicles you're on. The Scarborough RT was the prototype ICTS system, and when it was built, they needed a chime... and came up with the 3-tone chime. UTDC was acquired by Bombardier, and they continued to use the chime on many of their products. Since Toronto (until now) has been buying exclusivley Bombardier products, all Toronto vehicles have the 3-tone chime you hear! You can hear it all around the world - a legacy of UTDC!

[@retro_wizard]

That announcement “ding” is a remnant of the SkyTrain! Part of the same recording from a Yamaha DX7

[@IainHendry]

@@retro_wizard Ahh cool! Like when you say Yamaha DX7, what do you mean? I had to look it up - looks like that's a type of keyboard? The DPM's announcement voice & diction are SO good.

[@MilesinTransit]

@@IainHendry So you're telling me the MBTA Red Line cars that were built by UTDC could've had that same chime?? Darn!

[@IainHendry]

@@MilesinTransit Maybe! I suppose if they were built before 1985, then they wouldn't have had it...

[@Dangermad]

The river view of the people mover is nice, and the people mover actually comes in handy for conventions, I love the river walk as well

[@baseballfan99]

Outstanding that when you connected to the Wi-Fi your first notification was for Planes Trains Everything. Scott will be pleased.

[@MilesinTransit]

Such a good channel!!

[@amprosk]

Right in time for my trip to Detroit this weekend

[@MilesinTransit]

Nice, have a good time!

[@evan.d05]

Super cool that you featured Detroit! I’m a Wayne State student and I appreciate the public transit but it’s… limited. Some of the main attractions in Detroit like Eastern Market aren’t connected to these systems and it makes it difficult to travel. I wish the q-line had designated lanes because it frequently gets stopped due to cars. I love the Detroit representation though and hope our transit system can (slowly) improve!

[@Knightmessenger]

MDoT is considering plans to redo Gratiot Avenue. Some of the options include dedicated bus lanes. I encourage you to submit public comments supporting that option if they have a future open hearing.

[@TrinityShoji]

The People Mover was supposed to be a much larger system, connecting downtown Detroit to the suburbs, with extensions out to the airports. But city politics, corruption, and loss of funding from state and federal grants caused the project to be largely abandoned outside of the circle in downtown.

[@healinggardensofmichigan7114]

No it was actually that the suburbs didn't want it. It's the same reason DOT stops at city limits. It's by design Detroit was red lined many years ago

[@Knightmessenger]

​@@healinggardensofmichigan7114cities and suburbs could not come to an agreement of how the 600 million would be divided up. I've read a major part was whether a subway line running on Woodward was to be underground or elevated.

[@Three60Mafia]

I was just in Detroit last week (from Toronto). People Mover gave me PTSD about our own Scarbourough RT, now defunct. Those things are loud, cramped and are just packed with bad ideas (but good intentions). They are loud because of the linear induction motors.

[@ck4426]

I love all of your videos but a lot of the fun is seeing your friends too. You have such sweet transit friends and they are fun to watch too. Just sayin’! 🙂

[@GojiMet86]

I actually first learned of the Detroit People Mover in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition on the PSP, wayyyyy back in 2005. It also featured the San Diego Streetcar and the Atlanta Subway...ish. I remember following the trains and buses as much as I could (as I do in games like GTA V and Saints Row). Legit thought it was fake until I saw photos of it online.

[@DetroitDevelopmentDrone]

This comments brings back memories. I loved that game because it was the first time I'd seen Detroit featured in a video game.

[@roaddawg3217]

​@@DetroitDevelopmentDrone we are in quite a few now, check out a game called: Detroit. Becoming Human... It's pretty good 😊

[@marsdeat]

I think even more impressive than it being so loud you can hear it from Windsor... is the fact that it's so loud that you can hear on VIDEO from Windsor.

[@MilesinTransit]

Good point!

[@thexalon]

As someone who used the Cleveland system a lot for years, I can confirm those are exactly the same fare gates as are used in the hub station at least. Most of the other stations don't have gate lines and instead require boarding at the front and taking fare at a machine on the train itself (which, as you can imagine, slows boarding).

[@marthalauren858]

The same cars are notorious in Vancouver for being R E A L L Y L O U D

[@eduardohernandez1838]

Detroit was going to get a subway but the auto industry put a stop to it. There used to be a large street car system called the Detroit united railway that went from Toledo, Ohio to Flint, MI. Lately, the mayor has floated the idea of expanding the people mover and with Ford renovating the train station, hopefully we can connect some of the neighborhoods.

[@mariawardell7844]

The one closed stop used to go to Joe Louis Arena until it got demolished. Also, at Huntington Place (Cobo) there is a tile mural behind the rail car of older cars.

[@GintaPPE1000]

I'd argue the People Mover makes sense for one purpose: if you want to go to Cobo Hall for a convention and don't want to bother with the parking situation at the riverfront. Back when Joe Louis Arena was still a venue, that might also be a viable case.

[@peterjszerszen]

I grew up in Metro Detroit and remember when the People Mover was new and I am just now realizing how old it looks (I haven't been down there in a while). However, given that it still continues to run nearly 40 years later with barely any investment at all is really a testament to how durable that equipment is. None of it has ever been updated. As I'm sure others have said elsewhere, the People Mover was only one part of what was supposed to be a much larger regional system with high speed rail out to the suburbs but it never happened. The idea was you would ride rail into a station with the People Mover and use it to get around the downtown core. It was built with federal money as a prototype.

[@ArcJupiter]

Curiously enough, growing up near Detroit and riding the DPM as a kid, The train wasn't always so loud you couldn't hear the next-station announcement. I was enthralled as a kid, I have fond memories of going downtown with dad as a little kid and we would do a full circuit on it during the holidays. I remember it having more ridership at least 10-12 years ago. It was sad to learn how it could have been so much bigger and its even more sad to see how it's kind of just very, very, very slowly decaying, still in working order it seems, but if the increased noise is anything to go by...

[@psoras]

The Detroit People Mover gives me serious NCRT (the metro from Cyberpunk 2077) vibes. I mean, that system has multiple lines, many branches and is actually useful in-game, but the weird dystopian design with going through buildings and stuff is pretty similar.

[@TalooshDaBoss]

lol that's not far off, main differences are this train isn't useful and the crowd density is somehow even lower then cyberpunk.

[@christianlibertarian5488]

I was a teen when they built the People Mover. It was a pure boondoggle. The route was basically planned by campaign contributions. I don’t know why anyone thought it would be useful, since it only (slowly) circles downtown. It was definitely quicker to walk.

[@willd1790]

Oh wow the sound of the Mark 1 acceleration (Vancouverite here) is like an instant Pavlovian response for me lmao. Those cars are loud as shit to actually ride but I wish all the later models somehow kept that sound while remaining as quiet as they are, because it's such an iconic bit of Vancouver-iana (that's not a word but it is now)

[@Hollaraedulioe]

The whole people mover system got a real Jetsons vibe - 21st century transportation from your home door step right into the office building for work and back via a 'sky' mall. All automated and managed by robots with jet turbines on the back ... well, at least the sound wise :))

[@alexclement7221]

4:44: I remember when SEPTA first put those things in back circa 1970. I was with my parents, my sister, and my Grandmother, and we were trying to take the Broadstreet line. We all managed to pay our fares (tokens back then), except my dad's turnstile ate his token but would not let him through. He ended up vaulting the turnstile, for which his mother chastised him.......

[@RicksTravelogue]

This video has everything I wanted. Little Caesars World HQ while I'm eating pizza. And MilesinTransit Living on the Edge.

[@jeffreyB317]

I think I fell in love when you didn't know the sports team. Cheers to you. Fantastic!

[@DaveHogg]

And didn't even notice the baseball stadium on the other side of the street!

[@jeffreyB317]

@@DaveHogg Now I like this even more. 🪅

[@Knightmessenger]

I rode the Cincinnati streetcar (which opened around the same time as the QLine) and it felt like it was trying to combine both of Detroit's rail lines into one. I think it's good that the Detroit streetcar sticks to a single street and the people mover which has all kinds of turns through downtown, is elevated and not fighting traffic. Obviously a lot has changed downtown since the People Mover opened so the city has announced they will be looking at possibly modifying or enhancing the route.

[@DuluthTW]

I don't know if the systems should be called weird. Maybe unique. As I like to say, "I'm not a freak. I'm just unique." They seem to work well enough. I hope you enjoyed your time in the Motor City. Thanks for sharing your adventures with pixelated friends!

[@philipbrown4290]

I didn't realise the Detroit People Mover was charging a fare again - I was there in July 2022 and it was free to ride. It is somewhat zany though 😅

[@MilesinTransit]

It's been made free again this year!

[@Jamestube8439]

They were still recovering from the long closure periods due to Covid. A lot of the stations have been fixed up and renovated since then.

[@psychorabbitt]

I hear the Renaissance Center, and all I can think about is how when Howard Stern got hired at a WWWW (Detroit's W4) he was told that the station was there, and then he got there on his first day and found out it was actually in a ramshackle house in the worst neighborhood in the city. But they were "totally moving into the Renaissance Center soon!" That was in 1980. Forty-four years later and the station never moved.

[@DoubleHCreations]

Ever heard of “trains are awesome”? You and Aleena need a collab with Thom and Lindsey

[@MilesinTransit]

It's only a matter of time before we inevitably run into each other in the wild

[@jasonacg]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought Vancouver Skytrain (but those old cars are on the verge of replacement). By the way, you should go explore transit in Vancouver. So many ways to get around on one pass.

[@tylerkochman1007]

The loop you thought was weird at the convention center was built to serve the Joe Louis Arena (now demolished)

[@EDMLyfe]

The long deviation after the convention centre is due to the fact that the Joe Louis Arena the old arena for the red wings used to be there

[@neiljoyes2596]

Ahhh, The People Mover. I have fond memories of riding this with a girlie I met at Movement Festival. Nice way to see the sights of Downtown Detroit. We couldn't get the token machine to work, so we just hopped the turnstiles. Also, we had the exact same trains in Toronto on Line 3 Scarborough and they were also insanely loud . I say had because one of them derailed last year, leading to the entire line being decommissioned. I used to joke that Line 3 is what the subway would be if it were a carnival ride. RIP 🖤

[@jonathan248]

Most of the Wayne State students you saw were likely going to the business school, which is basically next door to the Little Caesar's Arena. The business school is detached from the main campus area, so student's with classes or that reside on main campus will often use the QLine to go between classes.

[@nnadir__]

Sometimes when a Mark I skytrain pulls up i skip it and wait a couple more minutes for the next one hoping it's a newer one just so i can spend the next 30 minutes in a quieter car. I'm trying to imagine how loud they can get when they (and the tracks too i guess) don't get as much maintenance. At least Mark I's acceleration sound is pretty cool

[@SeaBassTian]

Great video! I visited the big D last summer and rode the Q line quite a bit, staying in Greektown and took it all the way to the Fisher Building. Guy next to me kept whining about how they were supposed to extend it but never did! However, I did not take the People Mover and now I live with that regret.

[@anindrapratama]

Outside of NA there's also the Kelana Jaya Line in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And Beijing Capital Airport Express, and the Yongin Everline in Seoul (which use trains similar to JFK Airtrain)

[@chibivesicle9612]

As soon as I heard how loud the people mover was, I had flashbacks to riding the SRT on the TTC. So. Freaking. Loud. I knew people who took the SRT everyday from Scarborough to and from Kennedy station. And then the reveal that Detroit is buying the old SRT cars - damn.

[@Phillieslover14]

at 2:44 the detroit red wings (NHL) and detroit pistons (NBA) play at little ceasers arena

[@johnli25]

You can hear the anticipated disappointment in miles voice as he’s about to ride the people mover lol

[@legohistory9763]

It's funny that now. They just redid the people mover and it's free to ride now

[@terryaltherr2481]

I love how the realtime sign at the public entrance of Financial District station is totally out of since as seen at 4:55 but the realtime sign in that office building linking it to the very same station is accurate as seen in 6:53. Truly fascinating stuff.

[@olegdepapa]

Next time I am in Detroit I totally gotta get one of those People Mover tokens!

[@MilesinTransit]

It's free this year, I think they've covered up the machines :(

[@derrickjohnson4952]

I wish the Q line just went further , for me it’s pointless to use when trying to get home because then I’d have to take 3 vehicles instead of just 2 buses. Smoother ride tho 👍🏾

[@Shane_Shaney]

Really wish they would expand the People Mover around the city as a metro. The QLine is a streetcar. I think another line could be added going east/west from Southwest Detroit to Corktown to Belle Isle. Maybe another line going from Woodbridge to Downtown to Eastern Market and (maybe) Hamtramck. It needs to be kept small and compact though.

[@DoubleHCreations]

6:16 I think the reason it’s so loud is the same reason that the orange line in Boston is so loud: Most of the tracks are laid out on a road bed that is almost level with the tracks.

[@sentrygl]

We need Miles to rate American vs Lafayette Coney Island

[@michaelsearle]

TIL that the Vancouver Skytrain stock is also used in Detroit, however Vancouver has invested and is rolling out a fourth(!) iteration of the stock, whereas Detroit still seems stuck with the Mark I stock 😂

[@jordansegall4484]

Whenever there is new miles in transit I jump for joy

[@himbourbanist]

I kind of dig the People Mover cars. They're like weird, mini Chicago El cars. The interiors look like a strange cross between Chicago El cars and Philadelphia MFL cars. What a strange system. If they get full size trains on it, and get them running in both directions, and it went to more places, I bet that it would actually get some ridership, especially now that people are finally starting to move back to Detroit. And those stations are weird but they're kind of sick for a weird little people mover. I dig it

[@bahnspotterEU]

Just look at the Vancouver Skytrain for the full-size version of Detroit‘s little theme park-esque ride.

[@bkark0935]

@@bahnspotterEU Sure, Vancouver SkyTrain uses the same technology (linear induction motors) and train cars as Detroit’s People Mover, but only on 2 of the 3 SkyTrain Lines (the Expo Line & the Millennium Line) The Canada Line uses Hyundai Trains and standard electric motors.

[@himbourbanist]

lol right, the Skytrain is an actual transit system@@bahnspotterEU

[@kberkstr]

It was originally supposed to be the central hub of a much larger system that radiated out along the main roads, kind of like the El. Unfortunately, the federal government backed out just as the downtown loop was being completed, so we are left with something largely useless unless you need to go specifically between the Ren Cen, greektown, or the convention center

[@TheBaconKing32]

The best part of everything is that the scooters are the quickest way to get around, lol

[@db399]

I visited Detroit a couple of weeks ago to take both, yes, the People Mover's a bit odd but given that it was raining the second day I was there it was good to have it, better than nothing to get around the core in that circumstance. Carrying a suitcase up those stairs was no fun though :)

[@emjeebutterz4405]

Miles visits my hometown and (rightfully) slanders our "transit" system. My life is complete.

[@olegdepapa]

I love the blurred faces! I love your videos. I was there several times, in Detroit, exploring, you should really go to the river, and check out their downtown architestausre on some of the sky srapers, and Renaisance cnt. I noticed they have been rebuilding downtown and it looks very nice. It also was a city that did not get damanged during the BLM riots a few years ago. I noticed they had those cable cars or whatever you call them that are above ground downtown, always wondered what it would be like to ride them

[@zombieboyband2709]

I use the People mover annually when I attend youmacon. Usually to either the rensen or greektown for some food. Easily the cheapest way to get around and the easiest when your cars in a parking structure.

[@michelinman8592]

Glad you got to FINALLY tour Detroit, Miles! I've lived in Michigan my whole life, and am a fanatic of public transport (which you can clearly see is sorely lacking and so desolate here.) Whenever I travel, I always explore what pubic transit has to offer wherever I go. In no small part to "The Big Three," Michigan was simultaneously a proving ground (and a battle ground) to rid the US of public transit. Heck, GM was so big at one point they reigned supreme (cars, semi trucks, busses, locomotives, etc.) Back when I was little, before GM bought _(ruined)_ it, the Renaissance Center had an observation deck. I want to say it was free, when it was open. The fact that the DPM stopped at, what _was_ Joe Louis Arena, is mind-boggling.

[@JEK_VaNNNNN]

No one has done more damage to both the city and the southeastern region of the state of Michigan as a whole than the General Motors Corporation. I live in Macomb County and it feels like 95% of the land around here is just car infrastructure and strip malls. It sucks.

[@Detroit_Desu]

one day the DPM will be extended and it will be glorious, also the Q-Line has great potential to be extended up and down the Metro Detroit area's gigantic boulevard type streets with massive medians in the middle

[@niggalini]

From the lodge to Rosa parks you can still see some old rails on the red brick paved part of Michigan Ave, would be nice if they returned street car functionality maybe even expanding it westward towards Dearborn though that's a bigger distance than the current Q line. I'm all for it especially if it finally gives them an opportunity to totally repave the road too lol

[@TakenTook]

It was supposed to be extended back in the day. And then Reagan took away the funding after he won the presidency

[@otm646]

The M1 rail will never be extended. The suburbs absolutely do not want a direct connection to the City. Royal Oak would rather burn it down than allow for the type of riff raff that would come in.

[@RinEMV]

I used to ride the people mover from my car to work five days a week. It used to go in the opposite direction, but the train car wheels and track got so worn down that they had to start sending it in the opposite direction to avoid having to replace the whole thing. Crazy!

[@LewisYamanoteAintReal]

First 30 seconds are chaos. Welcome to Detroit.

[@phronsiekeys]

I went to Detroit before they opened the QLine. I liked the place; I'd like to go back now because the QLine runs right by the cultural stuff and also to Amtrak. I happened to be there in stunning weather and we did a lot of walking around the downtown and river areas. And of course I read the People Mover the whole way, multiple times!! But the Museum was a bit far for walking in the time we had (I was there for a conference). I hope things continue to improve there and if the Qline helps them with tourism I'm there for it.

[@fenderbender4294]

the cut to the people mover's noise across the river was so funny.... i like that little token and the campy posters though. such an interesting video about some interesting transit in an interesting city! the ending bit reminded me of being at the penn station light rail station in pittsburgh (which is only used for shuttle service) when it was technically closed and they suddenly played an announcement saying "this station is closed". very funny.

[@joermnyc]

Loud train cars where you can’t hear the announcements? Original BART cars in the tunnels to/from the airport. (I hope the new cars have solved that problem.)

[@Skip6235]

A correction: the LIM trains are also in Kuala Lampur and Osaka

[@TheRandCrews]

And Guangzhou! Biggest system user of LIM. Toei Subway also used it on one line.

[@mileitman]

Do they use the same UTDC tech?

[@haoxiangwu6735]

@@mileitman Kuala Lumpur yes (after UTDC sold it to bombardier). Japan had their own tech.

[@williamhuang8309]

They don't use the original first-generation skytrain technology. Vancouver, Toronto and Detroit all use/used to use the first generation skytrain technology with Mark 1 trains. When Bombardier took over from UTDC they created the second generation of Skytrain technology which is used in KL. In essence, the only place where you'll find an original skytrain is Vancouver or Detroit.

[@jason38321]

And Beijing, and New York.

[@cyborgsheep6077]

hope Detroit is enjoying the trains that Toronto sent them

[@sblack53]

6:15 “Why is it so loud?” You’ve been to Scarborough. You were on TTC’s Line 3. It’s the same trains and the same tech. The Mark 1 trains in Vancouver are just as loud.

[@DuckOfRubber]

9:54 "Could you call this useful?" "If it were completely different, it would be useful, so yes."

[@craigdvance]

we used to ride this thing in the late 80's as teens as a joke. It was like a disney ride just going around in a circle. you could look at some cool buildings but it never really went anywhere you wanted to go from a point you needed to be. It was also kind of dangerous back then.

[@supervegetariangeek]

Yay miles in my city!!

[@alexanderboulton2123]

Wait...THAT'S Redacted Rail??? I was randomly recommended HIS VIDEO with the Detroit People Mover, and I thought it was AWESOME!!!

[@RoboJules]

The Detroit people mover is like if the Vancouver Skytrain was drunk.

[@kiosk5595]

“This train is for…the station you just boarded at”

[@tiffanytc89]

Haha, the station you started at was broken and had been hit before we visited in March of 2023... crazy it's still broken!

[@LUNITUNZBackup]

Me and my friend almost rode the People Mover at Youmacon back in November (we didn't know what it was called, so we kept calling it "the rapid," because we're from Cleveland)... but for whatever reason we forgot and didn't ride it.

[@ManiacGamer1988]

Speaking as somebody who lives in the area, I would like to point out that the People Mover does get a decent amount of traffic in the daytime, when the offices and courthouses are open. I imagine late-night traffic is mostly people coming from and going to the casinos.

[@stormy313]

omg omg omg!!!!!! I always watch your videos because transit sucks so much here! the q line is a good start for detroit, though it was supposed to go farther north on woodward. this was stopped by the suburbs as residents tend to have a negative view of the city, as well as the "motor city" not being able to give up car infrastructure. ie, I-375 is being removed (which was a popular idea for a more walkable city) and its getting replaced with stroad ._. majestic theater is a nice venue! the bowling alley next door has a much smaller venue upstairs called the magic stick, which I think is such a cute play on words. little ceasars and family own an incredible amount of propety in detroit and have left so much of it to rot..... this city has a lot working against it but it's so beautiful now compared to when I was a kid thank you for visiting

[@crocutaqueen1311]

The empty lot you saw along woodward used to be the historic First Unitarian Baptist church that burned down in 2014 and an adjacent lot of victorian homes that were demolished as blight.