The Detroit People Mover (DPM) is a 2.94-mile (4.73 km) elevated automated people mover system in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The system operates in a one-way loop on a single track encircling downtown Detroit, using Intermediate Capacity Transit System linear induction motor technology developed by the Urban Transportation Development Corporation. In 2024, the system had a ridership of 1,075,200, or about 3,000 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2025.
The People Mover is supplemented by the QLINE streetcar, which connects the system with Midtown, New Center, and the Detroit Amtrak station. The system also connects to DDOT and SMART bus routes as part of a comprehensive network of transportation in metropolitan Detroit.
The Downtown People Mover opened on July 31, 1987. A ceremony was held the Financial District station, with appearances by Mayor Coleman Young and People Mover supporter Max Fisher. After opening speeches and awards, Young and Fisher cut a five-foot-long cake shaped like a People Mover car, and boarded the inaugural run. The train broke through a green ribbon accompanied by the simultaneous release of 10,000 balloons, also shaped like a People Mover car. A block party was hosted below on Larned Street, and the service was open to the public by 1:30 pm. That weekend trains were usually packed, with passengers waiting around 20 minutes to board at some stations. Transit officials controlled crowds, encouraging only taking one round-trip to let others ride. The system carried an estimated 2,000 passengers per hour on Friday and Saturday. Rides were free for the first week, with a $0.50 fare going into effect on August 8.
In the first year, an average of 11,000 riders used the People Mover each day; the one-day record was 54,648. Originally, the People Mover System was operated and maintained by UTDC on a month-to-month basis; DTC took over operations and maintenance on November 18, 1988.
Service disruptions from construction
On October 24, 1998, the implosion of the J. L. Hudson Department Store damaged part of the nearby People Mover track and forced the system to shut down. Limited service resumed on January 23, 1999 with the system split into two lines: a "red line" running between Times Square & Millender Center, and a "green line" between Greektown and Cobo Center. Both lines were shortened by one stop in August of that year. In November 1999, the loop was restored, and Times Square station reopened.
However, Grand Circus Park and Greektown remained closed to accommodate construction of Greektown Casino and the closure of the David Whitney Building.
Greektown station reopened in January 2000, following the casino's completion. In April 2001, Grand Circus Park reopened, restoring service to whole system.
During construction of Compuware World Headquarters, the Cadillac Center station was temporarily closed as part of the parking structure was built around it. The station remained largely untouched and unmodified, although the entrance was slightly expanded, and a walkway to the garage was added.
In 2002, the original Renaissance Center station was closed and demolished. This was part of a multi-year renovation of the Renaissance Center, in which concrete berms in front of the complex were removed to make it more inviting to the rest of downtown. The system ran limited service due to the gap in the track during construction, leading to a drop in ridership, before the new station and track opened on September 3, 2004. The original station's tile artwork was destroyed in the demolition, though its creator, George Woodman, designed a replacement work for the new station.
The Grand Circus Park station closed for renovations on August 16, 2014, as part of renovation work in the David Whitney Building. A new station lobby was added with a direct entrance to the building, and an elevator was added to provide step-free access. Trains continued to operate in a one-way loop, bypassing Grand Circus Park, for most of the station's closure, though the line was briefly split into two segments (with transfers at Millender Center) while part of the track was closed. The Grand Circus Park station officially reopened on June 13, 2015. A connecting QLine station was added shortly thereafter, opening with the system in May 2017.-
Detroit People Mover
The People Mover occupies the GO square on a regulation Monopoly board.