M-1 Rail start-up delayed until early 2017

A year after construction began on the M-1 Rail transit line, officials say passenger service should begin in spring 2017 rather than late 2016 as initially predicted with more time needed to work through updated federal safety regulations.

Known as MAP-21, for the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act signed into law in 2012, the new regulations will find one of their first tests in the certification process of M-1.

"MAP-21 is now just being implemented throughout the whole transit area," Paul Childs, chief operating officer for M-1 Rail, said this week. "It's going to be a learning experience. We think we have a sense of it, but it's new and it's the government."

Weather and the timetable for delivery of M-1's streetcars have also added extra time to the schedule. The first two cars are scheduled to be delivered to Detroit in late 2016 and four more by spring 2017. The service needs at least four to start passenger service.

Last winter's tough weather has also slowed construction somewhat though M-1 officials say much of that can be made up.

"We're not quite where we want to be and we're working to catch up," Childs said this week. "The winter hurt us." But with overtime and other ways to make up time, the construction is expected to finish on time in late 2016. The vast majority of underground utility work has been finished and Childs said construction in the central downtown core should not interfere with the annual Thanksgiving Day parade in November.

"We will go as early in 2017 as we possibly can," Childs said of the operational start.

Still remaining to be done: Choosing the color schemes for the inside and exterior of the streetcars. Childs said M-1 officials hope to get public suggestions on those color choices.

Planned as a 3.3-mile streetcar line along Woodward Avenue from Congress Street downtown to Grand Boulevard in the New Center area, M-1 will serve 12 locations along the route with 20 stations, some on either side of the street for a given location. After several years of planning for the line, construction began in July 2014.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.