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New QLine Train in Detroit

Saturday friends and I were having dinner in Mid-Town at HopCat and decided to check out the new Q Line (www.qlinedetroit.com).  The Q Line is a “circulating street car” that runs along Woodward from Grand Blvd. to Congress Street.  Or, what you’d consider New Center to the heart of Down Town. 
The project began in 2007 and was completed and up and running on May 12th 2017.

It worked out perfectly, as HopCat is right on the corner of Canfield and Woodward.  The vestibule to wait for the Q Line is right outside their front door.  Luckily, the ride free promotion was extended until June 30th so we were able to ride for free!  Normally, tickets are $1.50/3 hrs or $3 for all day.  Monthly passes are $30 and Annual pass with unlimited rides is $285.  There are multiple pay options:
You can pay at the Kiosk in the vestibule, you can pay on the Qline Mobile App, or on Qlinedetroit.com.  Lastly you can pay in cash on the street car.  Lots of options!!  
One thing that I thought was pretty cool was that while you are waiting for the Q, you can view on a virtual map where the cars are (there were 4 the evening we were out) and how long your estimated wait time is!  For us one had just left before we stepped out of the restaurant, so it said we had a 10 minute wait.  It ended up being maybe 15, but it was a very busy night since rides were free and there were a lot of crowds down town!  
As you can see the Q was packed; it was standing room only both on our way to Campus Martius and on our way back to Mid Town a couple hours later.  There are handy hand rails and suspended straps to grab onto.  The ride was smooth, other than stops and people were cheerful and friendly.  The 2ish mile ride lasted about 10 minutes. 
Overall I enjoyed the Q and am planning on using it in the future.  It may only cover 3.3 miles; however I think it will still be useful to many who are visiting downtown for a concert or sporting event but also want to grab food or drinks in a different part of town before or after.  It worked perfectly for us.  Parking is cheaper in Mid Town; and there are several dining options including Rock City Eatery, Jolly Pumpkin, Traffic Jam and Snug and Mario’s in addition to HopCat and a few others.  This will save me on my next Tigers outing, as parking is marked up quite a bit on game days.  I also think it’s a nice option if you have kids and want to get from one end of town to the other but don’t want to walk a couple of miles. 
Hours of Q Line:
M-Th: 6am-11pm
Fri: 6am-12am
Sat: 8am-12am
Sun: 8am-8pm

Theresa W
Author: Theresa W

Theresa is a wife and stay at home mother of 2 boys, David (13) and Aiden (10). Her hobbies include traveling, reading, running, cooking and volunteering at MI Humane Society with the adoptable cats. She also spends her free time serving as PTO President at her son's elementary school. She enjoys being active and is proud to have completed 4 marathons. She loves to share her passion for health and fitness with others.