How Did We Get Here? A Visual Timeline of Mass Transit in Southeast Michigan

From the first electric street car in 1892 to the QLINE

Did you know that commuter rail service ran between Detroit and Ann Arbor as late as 1984? Or that Detroit considered implementing a subway system in 1920? Click through the timeline to see archival photos and newspaper clippings highlighting major events in Southeast Michigan’s mass transit history. Warning: The journey is a bit of a roller coaster.

CLICK ON TIMELINE TO BEGIN

SOURCE: Transit History of the Detroit Region.

Author

Laura Herberg
Laura Herberg is a civic life reporter for Outlier Media, telling the stories about people inhabiting the Detroit region and the issues that affect us here.
View all posts

Tags: DARTA, DDOT, history, mass transit, People Mover, Regional Transit Authority, RTA, SMART, street cars, subway, timeline, transit, transportation