M-1 Rail Opens Maintenance, Operations Center in Detroit

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M-1 Rail officially dedicated its Penske Technical Center in Detroit’s North End neighborhood at a ceremony today, which will serve as the maintenance and operations center for the QLine streetcar vehicles and house administrative staff.

The facility is sponsored by Penske Corp. and named for Roger S. Penske who serves as the chairman of the board for M-1 Rail.

“A decade ago as we prepared for the Super Bowl, we were boarding up buildings in this area,” said Roger Penske. “Today Woodward Avenue is becoming one of the most successful and vibrant corridors in our state and much of that has to do with this project.”

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Councilwoman Mary Sheffield, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, and Wayne County Executive Warren Evans attended the ceremony.

“The QLine was made possible by the unprecedented private public partnership fueling this project,” said Matt Cullen, CEO of the M-1 Rail, the operator of the QLine. “QLine is a catalyst for economic development and business growth, but it’s also as the first step toward creating a great regional transit system in Detroit.”

The tech center was designed and constructed by Detroit-based Turner Construction. The first streetcar is expected to be delivered to the tech center by the end of this year, when testing and safety certification will begin.

When completed, the QLine will be a 6.6-mile streetcar loop connecting downtown Detroit to Midtown, New Center, and the North End neighborhoods.