M-1 RAIL PENSKE TECHNOLOGY CENTER
The Penske Center is the nation’s first vehicle storage and maintenance facility to operate completely off-wire.
Client
M-1 Rail
Project Size
20,000 sf
Professional Services
Architecture
Interior Design
The Penske Technical Center sits at the northern terminus of the QLINE light rail on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. The 20,000 square foot facility serves as the headquarters for M-1 Rail operators of the QLINE, as well as the maintenance, washing and storage center for the streetcars. The maintenance area consists of three primary high bays: overhead repair with a flat track, platform and monorail; a Pit Repair Bay with portable jacks and bridge crane; and a Wash Bay. The remainder of the building features offices, conference rooms, central dispatch, and training rooms.
Conceived as a two story design, the first floor is dedicated to maintenance, operations and storage of six streetcars, with a second level mezzanine for parts storage. The facility utilizes drive-through repair and wash bays to store streetcars behind the building to maintain the historic design guidelines. On site employee parking, parts delivery and required utilities are also concealed behind the building, sustaining the historic street front requirements.
The QLine is a mostly curbside fixed-rail streetcar circulator system, co-mingled with traffic, with 20 stations at 12 stops between Grand Boulevard and Congress Street. It will run in the median at its north and south ends.
Meet the team
Ken
Anderson
National Transit Director
Washington DC Office Lead
Ken Anderson is known for developing projects with architectural solutions that transform lives for the better. As the studio lead for RNL’s Washington, D.C. office and head of RNL’s transit practice, Ken has helped establish the firm as one of the premier transit architecture firms in the nation.
Barry
Newton
Senior Project Architect
Born and raised in the construction industry, Barry now brings more than 20 years of on-the-job experience to his role as a Senior Project Architect. Barry works primarily on RNL’s transportation team, contributing expertise to a number of transportation and vehicle maintenance facilities across the country.
