The Detroit People Mover
(FOX 2) - The governing body that manages the Detroit People Mover took a small but significant step toward reimagining what the transit service can provide to Detroit on Thursday.
The Detroit Transportation Corporation selected a firm to study possible short, medium, and long term improvements to the 2.9-mile light rail system.
During the DTC's monthly board meeting, members approved AECOM to lead the 12-month study. The general manager of the People Mover sees it as the logical next step for managing the transit system.
"I think that it does fit into the picture of the People Mover downtown, for the city, all those things are pointing in a pretty transformative direction," Robert Cramer said.
That wasn't the thinking two years ago when the Covid pandemic forced the People Mover to shut down for two years. At that point, the decades-old rail system faced an inflection point, staying closed and missing out on further investment or improving.
"From that point, we could go two ways: fade off into the distance or get everybody on board to really make it everything it can be for the city," Cramer said.
The study is intended to build upon that success.
Between the rail system's massive surge in ridership in 2024 and momentum behind both Detroit and public transit in Southeast Michigan, Cramer said this year is the right time to rethink what sort of benefits the People Mover can bring to Detroit.
The study's scope was left purposefully vague to encourage ideas beyond the immediate track, he said. Instead of picking one project or requesting an exhaustive list of ideas, Cramer said the People Mover is interested in "more of a menu of possible things."
Proposal ideas could be as small as renaming the stops along the People Mover's route, or as big as expanding the track itself.
The study is being paid for with the use of federal funds that are facilitated through a state grant program. It will cost at most $800,000.
And once the opportunity for larger projects presents itself, the People Mover will have ideas ready to jump on.