*UPDATE (09/17/25): Due in part to your advocacy, it was made clear that MDOT did not satisfy the community with their new, de-pedestrianized, transit-less infrastructure plan for the street, and their feedback meetings not keeping to schedule indicates that we may have gotten this unsatisfying plan postponed or canceled! We have the opportunity to get the ball rolling on rail transit down Michigan Avenue!

You'll find a link here for the Detroit City Football Club CBO process for their new stadium. CBO (Community Benefit Ordinance) is a law passed by Detroiters that is unique to Detroit. It requires that any construction in the city go through a process to appeal to citizens in their impact zone and have weekly meetings that are open to locals.

As part of this agreement we are demanding that a feasibility study take place to get rail down Michigan (For reference the study for the M1 Rail, now the QLine down Woodward took place in 2006 under Kwame Kilpatrick and started construction in 2014).

This means that every Thursday at 6PM in Mexicantown CDC Mercado, you have an opportunity to advocate for more and greener transit, one day reshaping one of Detroit's major arteries and expanding our limited rail system. Once there you can organize with other petition signers to keep up the fight. Click here to read about the process and review the schedule (every Thursday until mid-October) towards the bottom.

*UPDATE: Our campaign has submitted our petition to MDOT and Detroit City Council. We received a response back from MDOT that you can view here. We will continue organizing to win a mass transit system in Metro Detroit that serves the needs of the working class. To do this, we will need to organize for the long haul and build a mass movement in the streets, at the ballot box, and in our workplaces. We invite you to attend our 'History of Mass Transit in Detroit' event on Saturday, June 21st 1-2:30pm taking place at 2701 Bagley St. in Detroit. We will have a presentation on the history of transit in Detroit and discuss next steps in organizing the mass movement for mass transit in Detroit and beyond. RSVP here and see you on the 21st! 

The undersigned demand that Michigan Avenue be developed with streetcar tracks, optimized for an eventual city-wide integrated rail system, and that regional planning and city construction at large proceed with consideration of public transit and movement towards a city-wide accessible and affordable public transportation system. 

Detroiters direly need more accessible, higher quality public transportation options. As residents demand a just transition to an equitable and environmentally sustainable and resilient society, the city and region must adopt a less car-centric approach to transportation. Public transit is a lifeline for working class people — including the 1/3 of Detroiters who do not have a vehicle of their own — and is far more environmentally friendly than single-occupant vehicles. Investment in public transit in Detroit lags far behind other major metropolitan areas.

Re-development plans for a two-mile stretch of one of Detroit’s major arteries, Michigan Avenue, present an opportunity to build on Detroit’s current public transit options and set a foundation for the years to come. The redevelopment of Michigan Ave has been discussed since 2020 and more public comment sessions are expected soon.

Rail has a history — and we believe a future — on Michigan Ave. In 1922, Detroit had the largest municipal rail system in the country, and the streetcars stuck around until the 1950s. This stretch of Michigan Avenue still contains historic rail tracks. Detroit’s streetcar revival, the “QLine,” has met criticism; however, the M1 Rail has just come under public ownership by the Regional Transit Authority, ensuring that it will remain a public good. With just a fraction of the $70 million already allocated for the Michigan Avenue project, restoring these tracks would preserve a symbol of Detroit’s transit history and expand possibilities for Detroit’s transit future.

Join Metro Detroit DSA (MDDSA) and our Ecosocialist working group! We will share next steps on this campaign and MDDSA’s future transit organizing work:

• We will contact you when the public comment meeting is scheduled and support you in making your voice heard.
• We will continue to build the momentum around public transit in 2025 through supporting the Double DDOT Campaign and more.
• We will join forces with other transit advocates in support of a regional transit ballot proposal in 2026.

In solidarity,

Metro Detroit Democratic Socialists of America