Expand / Collapse search
☰

Detroit People Mover closes for makeover ahead of NFL Draft

By Lauren Edwards and Nour Rahal
Published  March 11, 2024 6:07pm EDT
NFL Draft in Detroit
FOX 2 Detroit

Detroit People Mover gets upgrades ahead of NFL draft

While the makeover is in preparation for the NFL Draft, the changes are here to stay.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - In preparation for the NFL Draft, the Detroit People Mover is getting a makeover – causing the public transportation system to shut down operations all day on Monday, March 11.

"We’re doing some station painting, we’ve got handrails, yellow warning strips," said Deputy Manager Ernest Latham. "Just refreshing everything so we have a very good patron experience when they come in."

The Detroit People Mover's services will resume on Tuesday, March 12 at 7 a.m. – with new technology upgrades as well.

"People will see kiosks, monitors, they probably won’t notice the extra cameras – we put some on the outside, a few more in the interiors of the station," Latham said.

And these changes are here to stay.

The goal is to make the riding experience interactive, where passengers can engage with the system and get the latest updates at kiosks and on their phones.

"If you go to financial, it'll show you ‘hey I’m at financial.' What’s the station arrival of the next train? And I’m here, how do I get to whatever my destination is? Whether it be part of the draft experience or if I’m going over to the casino," Latham added.

Detroit People Mover

Once the adjustments are complete, Detroit People Mover will be able to handle the masses coming to the city for the NFL Draft, which is Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27.

Latham said the Beyoncé and Taylor Swift concerts gave a hint of what to expect when it comes to the NFL Draft, helping them prepare.

"Riders that have used the People Mover, we want them to come in and say ‘Hey, that’s new. They didn’t have interactive kiosks, interactive signs before,'" Lathan said. "For our patrons that come in from out of town, just come in and enjoy Detroit. Have a great time in Detroit."

Between now and the draft, the company will make any necessary tweaks. 

"All of the stuff they were doing are long term improvements, not just for the draft," Latham said. "But this stuff will parlay on into years of the system."