DETROIT – Quicken Loans and M-1 RAIL today announced that QLINE (pronounced Q-Line) has been selected as the official name of Detroit’s modern streetcar line, currently under construction and set to begin operations in early 2017. The project also unveiled the official QLINE logo, which features a stylized “Q” in a design that symbolizes the connectivity accomplished through the rail line.
(Logo available for media on the Quicken Loans Press Room.)
“In the upcoming year, QLINE will begin moving riders up and down Woodward Avenue linking Detroit in a way we have not experienced in nearly 60 years,” said Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quicken Loans. “The launch of this modern streetcar marks a monumental moment in the development of Detroit in the 21st Century. Quicken Loans is proud to play our part in the beginning stages of modernizing the transit system in our burgeoning urban core.”
In addition to naming rights for the rail line, Quicken Loans is also one of 20 station sponsors along the route.
“We appreciate the support of Quicken Loans,” said Sommer Woods, Vice President of External Affairs for M-1 RAIL. “The QLINE will activate the sidewalks throughout the community, encouraging residents and visitors to experience all the neighborhood has to offer, from our cultural institutions, restaurants and small businesses, to Detroit’s entertainment district. The streetcar will create connectivity and serve all who live, work and play in Detroit.”
QLINE is a 6.6 mile loop on Woodward Avenue that runs from Congress Street downtown to West Grand Boulevard.
Construction began in 2014 and will be completed by the end of this year. The first modern streetcar is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter when testing and safety certification will begin. Each car will travel up to 35 mph.
“Quality, accessible mass transit is essential to thriving cities and QLINE will help Detroit become an increasingly more vibrant destination for everyone,” said Matt Cullen, CEO, M-1 RAIL. “The M-1 RAIL board, donors and team have done an incredible job making this unprecedented public-private partnership happen and we are confident QLINE will be a catalyst for regional transit across Metro Detroit.”
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About Quicken Loans
Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc. is the nation’s second largest retail home mortgage lender. The company closed $220 billion of mortgage volume across all 50 states since 2013. Quicken Loans generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company also operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit, as well as its San Diego-based One Reverse Mortgage unit. Quicken Loans ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction for Primary Mortgage Origination” in the United States by J.D. Power for the past six consecutive years (2010 – 2015) and highest in customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers in 2014 and 2015.
Quicken Loans was ranked No. 5 on FORTUNE magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2016, and has been among the top-30 companies for the last 13 years. It has been recognized as one of Computerworld magazine’s ’100 Best Places to Work in IT’ the past 11 years, ranking No. 1 in 2015, 2014, 2013, 2007, 2006 and 2005. The company moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010, and now more than 10,000 of its 15,000 team members work in the city’s urban core. For more information about Quicken Loans, please visit QuickenLoans.com, on Twitter at @QLnews, and on Facebook at Facebook.com/QuickenLoans.
About M-1 RAIL
M-1 RAIL is a non-profit organization formed in 2007 to lead the design, construction, and future operation of a circulating streetcar along Woodward Ave. M-1 RAIL is the first major transit project being led and funded by private businesses and philanthropic organizations, in partnership with local, state and the federal government. Click here for a full list of funders and partners. The streetcar is a 6.6 mile loop connecting down-town Detroit to Midtown, New Center and the North End neighborhoods. The modern streetcar has recently been named QLINE.