2023-09-06: Detroit People Mover Board of Directors
DTC does not publish meeting minutes or recordings. Print copies are available upon request by visiting the DTC office in person. The meeting schedule is available online .
The Detroit Transportation Corporation Board of Directors met on Wednesday, September 6th at 2:00pm to discuss a number of items related to ongoing maintenance and improvements to the People Mover, as well as a planned office move from the Buhl Building to the Guardian Building by the end of October.
The meeting was called to order at 2:07pm, with no public commenters in attendance. Up for discussion was the departure of Mikel Oglesby, who recently stepped down as director of DDOT and served a joint role on the DTC board. City of Detroit Interim Director of Transit Michael Staley will be taking his board position as vice chair.
Station Repairs
Scaffolding will be erected in a number of stations for lighting repairs in the coming months, with the possibility of converting older fixtures to LED lights.
A sump pump will be installed inside the Times Square station elevator pit per BSEED requirements. This was the final station to reopen due to elevator problems caused by prior flooding events. Station escalators were also damaged by floodwaters; a construction contract was awarded to TKE for repair and reinstallation with the exclusion of those inside the Millender Center, which DTC does not operate. The board notes that due to the People Mover’s lack of fully enclosed platforms, elevator and escalator upkeep is a considerable challenge due to their exposure to the elements.
Surveillance System Upgrades
The People Mover’s surveillance and communications systems will be upgraded, which includes the PA system, info screens, and camera replacements at every station along with additional camera installations. The ceiling of Times Square will be replaced as part of this work due to its design and age. DTC aims to have this project “materially complete” by January in advance of the 2023 NFL Draft. The board stated that this upgrade will provide a one-way feed to DPD “similar to traffic cameras” as a risk mitigation effort and will record footage for presentation in the event of litigation. Equature, a public safety software provider, is working with the People Mover on upgrades to their video archive system which has not always functioned reliably. DTC has secured grant funding to implement system tracking and monitoring from TransTrack, the same system used by DDOT.
Marketing Refresh
A logo and branding refresh is also in the pipeline and will be completed by Crystal Cranes Media, a company based in Kalamazoo. No designs or further information have been made available as of now.
System Closure for Rail Grinding
DTC will conduct rail grinding on straightaways to remove corrugation, which will lessen noise along these portions of the track. On September 11th and 12th, the system will be shut down for this work to be completed. September 13-20, work will occur overnight and after the end of regular service hours. This work will be completed as fast as possible with intent to have it completed before the first public day of the auto show.
Notices will be posted to inform the public that workers will be walking along the elevated guideway and the rail grinding machine may generate a significant amount of noise and sparks. Securitas, DPM’s unarmed security, will be monitoring the system during this track work.