Bill VanderMolen, Flickr Creative Commons
QLine operators M-1 Rail have made a New Year's resolution to extend the hours of Detroit's streetcar in 2018.
Beginning Jan. 1, the QLine will run until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, until midnight Monday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. on Sunday — putting the streetcar more in line with the nightlife of Midtown and downtown.
"QLine is extending hours to better serve our riders," M-1 Rail spokesman Dan Lijana says. "We listened to customer feedback and have refined operations to take our services to the next level in 2018."
Lijana also says the announcement is "the first of several operational improvements QLine expects to roll out in 2018." Previously, Lijana said M-1 Rail was working on giving the streetcar traffic signal priority to help avoid collisions.
Currently, the streetcar shuts down at 11 p.m. on weekdays, on midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays, though it offered extended hours for special events like concerts or sports. When it was first announced, M-1 Rail's tentative hours called for a 10 p.m. closing time, which lead to a public outcry. (OK, it seemed to be mostly from us in the media, we being the whiny alcoholics that we are.)
More information is available at qlinedetroit.com.
#ServiceAnnouncment: Since we first began operations in May, riders have told us that they'd like to see our hours extended. We're excited to finally announce that in 2018 we WILL be extending hours on ALL days! Mon-Thurs til 12am; Fri-Sat til 2 am; Sun til 11 pm. #NYresolutions pic.twitter.com/xUQZCBR1Ds
— QLINE Detroit (@qlinedetroit) December 28, 2017
