Cityscape

Hey, QLine: What's Wrong With This Picture?

October 01, 2018, 12:27 PM by  Allan Lengel

I'll state it again and again: I'm a fan of the QLine. I have an annual pass. I try riding it at least twice a week. And yes, things have improved from the days where you'd wait 17 minutes at the Campus Martius stop during rush hour in five-degree temperatures.

But one ongoing annoyance has been the estimated times of arrival on the electronic board at the platforms. On Monday morning I was waiting for a train in Midtown. The estimated time of arrival was three minutes. It remained three minutes for at least 10 minutes. The train finally arrived about 15 minutes later.

It's a common complaint I hear from riders -- the estimated time of arrival is sometimes frozen for as long as 10 or 15 minutes. 

What made it more bothersome was a message on the electronic board, which said:

"Due to Downtown Events, QLine service hours will be extended to 1:00 a.m. on 9/23/2018"

Look at the top right corner of the board and you'll see that Monday's date is Oct. 1, not Sept. 23.

Sure, the dated message is no big deal. But it tells me between the dated message and the stagnant time of arrival, something is amiss, and someone is not paying close enough attention. I'd rather see the waiting time adjusted upward rather than let it sit stagnant. 

If the QLine wants to expand or at least survive, it needs to pay attention to details. Little ones can make or break a system.  



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