Detroit streetcar stations begin to take shape, new rendering released

If you’ve been driving down Woodward in greater downtown Detroit, you may have noticed that there are now platforms and partial shelters sticking out of various places. They’re for the QLINE, Detroit’s new streetcar.

On Thursday a new rendering was released for the stations for the streetcar line. They look very modern, with an information screen and a glowing light bar.

The stations will be 98-by-12 foot and made of glass and concrete. They will be Wi-Fi enabled, heated and equipped with security cameras, emergency phones, and next vehicle alert screens.

Each station will recognize their sponsor with a custom Pewabic 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. The largest contributor was the Kresge Foundation, at $50 million.

A mobile app is also under development that officials say will include rider-friendly alerts about the QLINE and how to connect with other modes of transit along the Woodward Corridor.

There are twelve QLINE stops that are sponsored:

• Congress Street sponsored by Quicken Loans
• Campus Martius Park sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Grand Circus Park sponsored by Chevrolet
• Foxtown sponsored by Ilitch Holdings
• Sibley Street sponsored by Ilitch Holdings
• Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard sponsored by Detroit Medical Center
• Canfield Street sponsored byJPMorgan Chase & Co. northbound and Compuware southbound
• Warren Avenue sponsored by Wayne State University
• Ferry Street sponsored by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
• Amsterdam Street sponsored by Ford Motor Company
• AmtrakWest sponsored by Penske Corporation
• West Grand Boulevard sponsored by Henry Ford Health System

Each station sponsorship came with a pledge to contribute $3 million, with JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Compuware sharing the Canfield station.

M-1 RAIL Animated Route Map from M-1 Rail on Vimeo.

So what’s the progress situation now on these modern-looking stations? Here are some shots of the Congress street station from a few days ago.