Detroit: M-1 Rail Center Debut Marks Milestone for QLINE

[marmar]

MI: M-1 Rail Center Debut Marks Milestone for QLINE

Eric D. Lawrence On May 3, 2016
Source: McClatchy


May 03--Racing references were in vogue as the Penske Technical Center officially opened today as a key milestone in the construction of Detroit's streetcar line.

Noting that "we never took our hands off the wheel," facility namesake Roger Penske, who also chairs the M-1 Rail board, described the journey to date and the development potential the streetcar brings to Detroit.

The 3.3-mile line, now known as the QLINE, is under construction, but is supposed to be operational next year.



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U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, said the rail line should be a catalyst for regional transportation. Mayor Mike Duggan said he marvels at the redeveloped buildings along Woodward, saying "the rail line is it."

The Penske Tech center, at Woodward and Bethune, is at the end of the line in the city's North End neighborhood. The 19,000-square-foot building cost $8 million and will function as a storage and maintenance facility and "car barn" for the QLINE cars. It already houses the offices for M-1 Rail, the organization overseeing operations and construction.

Inside, the block walls are painted a crisp white, the floor has a standard garage-floor gray and railings and other trim feature a bright yellow. It has three bays -- one for washing the cars, one for undercarriage work with a 6-foot deep pit and one with a catwalk and 2 ton crane that slides along a candy cane-shaped track for upper-level jobs. That crane can move the equipment and parts into and out of a large storage area on the building's second-floor, according to Rick Evans, project manager and superintendent for contractor Detroit-based Turner Construction. ............(more)

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12203024/m-1-rail-center-debut-marks-milestone-for-qline

[LisaM]

1. I can't wait!

I intend to use this robustly.