With The Launch Of The QLine, Detroit Has Its First Streetcar In 60 Years: 'It Validates The City'

The QLine, Detroit’s $140 million streetcar line on a 6.6-mile loop, opened to the public Friday after nearly a decade of planning and with assurances that it’s intended as the first piece of a broader regional transit system. The Kresge Foundation, Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert and Penske Automotive Group, Inc. PAG Chairman Roger Penske were among the stakeholders who contributed millions to fund the public-private partnership behind the QLine, which runs north and south through Detroit’s downtown, Midtown and New Center areas. Other speakers included Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who said the QLine is a watershed moment for Woodward Avenue. Detroit’s main drag includes the first mile of concrete road that was paved in the U.S.