Toronto's long-operating streetcar network has been bolstered by new, low-floor vehicles that have brought much-needed accessibility and aesthetic upgrades to the fleet. But the process of receiving them from the manufacturer, Bombardier, has been a well-documented struggle. Only a third of the streetcars that were promised in 2009 have been delivered. Meanwhile, a five-hour drive from Toronto, and not discouraged by its Canadian cousin's experiences, Detroit has rekindled its love for streetcars. They have established a new streetcar line travelling along one of the city's most prominent streets. Our sister site UrbanToronto.ca recounted the successes of Detroit's fledgling network in contrast to an earlier piece parsing Toronto's continuous delivery delays.

The QLine in Downtown Detroit, image by Forum contributor drum118

April 8, 1956 was the last day a streetcar ran on Woodward Ave in Detroit, Michigan. The city had a population of 1.8 million in 1950, and at one point had the second largest streetcar system in the United States, with 700 cars in service daily running to all parts of the city. It was shortly afterwards that the city began its decline, and many attribute that decline in no small part to the removal of the streetcar system. In 2015, Detroit had a population of just 677,116, with another 5,000 estimated to have left in 2016.

61 years later on May 12, 2017, the QLine, owned and operated by M-1 Rail—a consortium of private and public businesses and institutions in the region—opened a new 3.3-mile streetcar line at a cost of about $200 million along Woodward Avenue, effectively Detroit's main street. The line runs from Congress Street in Downtown Detroit to Grand Boulevard to the north. The original plan called for a northern terminus another 5 miles north at 8 Mile Road, but that segment was cancelled due to lack of funds. The official opening took place in the heart of Downtown at Grand Circus Park with the Mayor of Detroit, the Governor of Michigan, and other VIP guests in attendance. Following the ceremony, the official party rode LRV 288 to Congress Street Station.

You can find the rest of this story on our sister site, UrbanToronto.ca.