The M-1 Rail QLINE streetcar has been more than a decade in the planning and construction. May 12 it finally opens to the public!! Everyone’s invited to try it out during a fun free weekend of activities along the corridor May 12-14. 
TRU is proud to join the celebration of this exiting new part of our transit landscape. Check out our preview videos to get a glimpse of the QLINE in action.
TRU has worked to influence and advance Woodward rail service as long as we’ve been an organization. Megan Owens has served on the M-1 Rail Community Advisory Council throughout the planning process, advising M-1 staff and advocating for concrete improvements.
Some people continue to criticize the QLINE for what it is not. Instead of looking at what the QLINE could have or should have been, TRU has chosen to focus on the positive improvement it does provide:
- The QLINE will be an attractive and convenient transit service along the busiest corridor in the region, giving locals and visitors alike an easy way to travel between major destinations throughout downtown and midtown.
- It will decrease parking pressure along the corridor by providing an easy way to travel around without having to fight for parking.
- The QLINE will introduce many people to transit who have never ridden before, hopefully increasing transit support and inviting new people who like it to try the bus.
What the QLINE is NOT:
- It is NOT rapid transit. It is not designed to move people quickly, but to circulate people conveniently. TRU pushed long and hard for it to run more quickly and reliably in dedicated lanes in the center of Woodward but we lost.
- It is NOT a regional transit solution, nor has anyone claimed it is. It serves a 3.5 mile area. No single transit line solves all a region’s transit needs.
- The funds used to build the QLINE could NOT have been used to improve buses, regardless of what some people wish.
- It will NOT be expanded further up Woodward in the near future. But bus rapid transit could and should provide a rapid connection along the full length of Woodward.
While celebrating this nice addition to our region’s transit options, TRU will continue to push for more and better transit options and a dedicated regional source of transit funding to develop the breadth of quality transit services our full region needs.