QLINE transfer agreed

The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) of Southeast Michigan Board of Directors voted to accept a transfer of the QLINE, bringing Detroit's streetcar system under the RTA umbrella as of the 30th September.  

 

M1 Rail (the non-profit organisation who currently own and operate the QLINE) will transfer all assets to the RTA. 

 

The QLINE was born through around USD 150M (EUR 138.4M) donations with participation from nearly every major Detroit based corporation and foundation. Since construction began in 2014, the area around the system has seen more than USD 1BN in new investment.  

 

To ensure the line's long-term sustainability, the decision has been made to transfer all the line's assets to the management of the RTA as, once it is under RTA's control, it will be eligible for sustainable funding - helping the system balance its books without additional costs to the taxpayer.  

 

'The future of the QLINE has never been more promising. This is an historic day and a critical step towards building a larger, more connected regional transit system' said M-1 Rail president Lisa Nuszkowski. 

 

The ridership of the QLINE is up more than 25% compared to 2023 and is on track to reach record numbers in 2024.