Detroit People Mover returns to service Wednesday: Holiday schedule, future hours

The Detroit People Mover is scheduled to be back in operation ahead of America’s Thanksgiving Parade.

The 2.9-mile elevated rail system, which had been on hiatus for scheduled track replacement since early September, will also be extending its hours permanently following the holiday, according to a news release.

That holiday schedule will include a nonstop stretch of more than 36 hours, beginning at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday and ending at 7 p.m. Thursday. Trains are likely to be running on Monday and Tuesday, too, but won’t be carrying passengers, according to Ericka Alexander, a spokeswoman for the system.

Robert Cramer, general manager of the Detroit Transportation Corp., the entity that operates the system, said the track replacement work involved cutting and removing sections of rail before hoisting and welding the new pieces into place.

The process for doing the work and resuming regular service isn’t as simple as flipping a switch, he said, describing it as a “carefully orchestrated show.”

Officials had previously said almost 7,000 feet of rail — about 20% of the total — was being replaced as part of the $5 million maintenance project, the third such effort since the system began operations in 1987.

When regular service resumes on Friday, after the holiday, operating hours will be extended during the bulk of the week and on Sundays going forward.

Here’s the upcoming regular operating schedule:

• Monday-Friday: 6:30 a.m.-midnight
• Saturday: 10 a.m.-midnight
• Sunday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Cramer said the later hours during the week (Monday through Thursday close had previously been 10:30 p.m., for instance) and half-hour earlier start time line up with feedback that had been gathered from riders and basically covers the extended hours that the system had been employing for many special events this year. The 6:30 a.m. weekday start time means that riders who need to be at work by 7 a.m. can also use the system in the morning.

The new operating hours can also be managed with current staffing, he said.

Asked if around-the-clock service could be an option in the future, Cramer noted that People Mover staff rely on the system’s downtime for maintenance and other work that needs to happen.

The People Mover remains free to ride, at least through the end of next year.

Upcoming People Mover events

• Wednesday 6-10 p.m. — The DPM Raid Train returns with a special DJ planned at the Broadway Station.
• Thursday 7-10 a.m. — A hot cocoa and hand-warmers event for the Thanksgiving Day crowd is scheduled for the Grand Circus Park Station.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.