Detroit Mass Transit

This is a private effort, no doubt, but I had a dizzy feeling when I read this. I just finished a book - Internal Combustion by Edwin Black - that chronicled the multi-decade effort (1930s-1970s) led by GM to undo electric mass transit across the US. They systematically bought up poorly managed mass transit systems, got rid of the trams and switched to buses, and finally got rid of the electric network. There were congressional hearings in the 1970s around the role of the standard oil, GM, and Firestone Tires, among others, in this process. This is less important as a specific project, and more important for its symbolism. It also indicates the power lost by the car companies. They cant argue against mass transit as they bet their future on smaller and electric cars.

Mass transit for Motor City

The city plans to break ground this year on stage one of a $420 million project: the first modern, mass-transit initiative in a city long synonymous with automobiles.

"Transit in Detroit has kind of been a joke," says Matt Cullen, CEO of M1 Rail, a private consortium heading the development effort. "We've been a victim of balkanized politics and other efforts. But now we have a plan in place. We'll get it done, and we feel it will have a huge impact on this region."
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It's the only project of its kind in the U.S., and the donor list reads like a Who's Who of area megamillionaires: Compuware (CPWR) CEO Peter Karmanos, Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert, Penske Corporation CEO Roger Penske and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch are among those ponying up $125 million to cover the project's entire phase-one price tag.

The planned 3.4-mile first stretch of light rail service would encompass some of Detroit's best-known entertainment districts, including Comerica Park, home of baseball's Tigers, and Ford Field, where the Lions play football. The route winds past the Fox Theater district and extends into Detroit's New Center area, the center of gravity for many local hospitals and medical facilities, as well as much of the Wayne State University campus.