M-1 RAIL unveils streetcar station design concept

M-1 RAIL unveiled the design for the 20 streetcar stations along the QLINE route. The stations will recognize corporate and philanthropic partners whose support formed the foundation of the landmark public-private partnership that brought the QLINE streetcar project to life.

The 98-by-12-foot glass and concrete stations will recognize each sponsor with an individual custom Pewabic Pottery tile corresponding to their corporate brand along with a plaque commemorating their contribution to the project. Rossetti, a Detroit-headquartered architecture firm, developed the concept and design for QLINE stations.

Stations will also be Wi-Fi enabled, heated and equipped with security cameras, emergency phones, and next-vehicle alert screens. A mobile app is also under development that will include rider-friendly alerts about the QLINE and how to connect with other modes of transit along the Woodward Corridor, according to officials.

Sponsors of the twelve QLINE stops from Downtown to Midtown, New Center and the North End include Quicken Loans; Wayne State University; Ford Motor Co.; and Penske Corp.

Each recognized station sponsorship came with a pledge to contribute $3 million, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Compuware sharing the Canfield station. The $142 million project is also supported by the State of Michigan, Wayne County, the Downtown Development Authority, the U.S. Department of Transportation along with DTE, the Ford Foundation, the Hudson-Webber Foundation and Bank of America.

Work on the underground and vertical elements of the stations is well underway and will continue into 2017. The QLINE remains on schedule to begin passenger operations in the spring, officials said.