42°19′ N   83°02′ WINDEPENDENT CITY GUIDE · HU / ENDETROIT + MICHIGAN
EGY NEGYED
DETROIT
Times Square station and the maintenance building (2023)
42-BRT · CC BY-SA 4.0

Places / People Mover / Stop 1 of 13

Detroit People Mover stationTimes Square

The People Mover’s heart: beside the station stands the maintenance and control facility that supervises the driverless cars.

Next car: 14:11
Code
TS
Opened
July 31, 1987
Boardings 2024
73,548 (6th)
Boardings 2017
118,467

01 / Story

The station’s story

Named after the square that took its name from the old Detroit Times newspaper, Times Square has been on the loop since July 31, 1987. It is the only station with an island platform and two tracks: one is the main loop, the other the siding into the garage. The facility holds two maintenance bays for three trains each, train-control and electronics labs, a car wash and a recovery-vehicle track. When part of the loop is closed, the siding lets the system run in two-way bypass mode.

When the Rosa Parks Transit Center was planned, the city required it to interface with the People Mover and to keep the DTC maintenance facility and loading dock accessible during construction. In January 2015 a train derailed here when a bracket came loose, striking the platform; no one was hurt and the system stopped for 17 hours. In May 2016 the station saw the People Mover’s only fatal accident, after which bollards were added to the platforms.

Times Square was the last station to reopen after the pandemic, on June 26, 2023, completing the loop again. In winter 2025–2026 its platform was resurfaced while trains passed without stopping. Ridership fell from 118,000 in 2017 to 15,000 in 2023, then rebounded to 73,548 boardings in 2024, sixth on the system.

  1. The gate of the maintenance and control facility
  2. The only island-platform, two-track station
  3. Pewabic tile works from 1987 and 1993
  4. Across from the Rosa Parks Transit Center

02 / From the window

What you see from the car

From here the line runs south above Cass Avenue. To the right, on the garage wall, Waleed Johnson’s NASA Lifelines mural; to the left the bus centre and old office blocks. Ride early and you will see the first cars roll out of the shed right here.

03 / Art in the Stations

Art at this station

  • Tom Phardel / Pewabic Pottery · 1987

    In Honor of W. Hawkins Ferry

    glazed ceramic tile

    An art deco-inspired tile work in Pewabic’s signature turquoise and iridescent glazes, honouring Detroit architect and patron W. Hawkins Ferry, himself a member of the art commission.

  • Anat Shiftan / Pewabic Pottery · 1993

    Untitled

    tile mural

    Pewabic’s signature mural in tribute to Art in the Stations, incorporating the commemorative tiles given to guests at the 1987 dedication of the station art.

04 / Timeline

Station timeline

  1. Opens with the loop

    The system’s maintenance and control facility rises beside it.

  2. Anat Shiftan’s mural

    Pewabic’s signature mural with the 1987 commemorative tiles.

  3. Closed, then reopened

    After the Hudson’s implosion it anchors the “red line”, reopening with the full loop in November.

  4. Derailment at the platform

    Caused by a loose bracket; no injuries, a 17-hour stop.

  5. The only fatal accident

    Bollards are then added along the platforms.

  6. Last to reopen

    The final step of the post-pandemic restart.

  7. New platform surface

    Trains pass through without stopping during the work.

  8. The station is part of the loop today; today’s departures are shown above, per timetable.

05 / Curiosities

Curiosities

  • Maintenance equipment is lifted up to track level by crane.

  • A 1991 Transportation Research Record study published the facility’s full plan, down to the car wash and the recovery-vehicle track.

The Times Square station building in autumn 2025
42-BRT · CC BY-SA 4.0
A train at Times Square station with the Book Tower behind (2008)
jodelli · CC BY 2.0
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25

Every figure is compiled from the sources below, including the DTC’s official pages, board minutes and its 2025–2026 planning documents. Where sources differ, we give both. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, freely licensed and credited per author.

06 / Nearby

A short walk away

Places, restaurants and venues from our guide, with straight-line distance and an estimated walking time.

Around the station

  • Rosa Parks Transit Center across the street

    DDOT’s downtown bus hub under its white sail roof.

  • Capitol Park and Beacon Park 3–5 min

    The site of Michigan’s first state capitol, and one of downtown’s liveliest parks.

  • Book Tower 2 min

    The restored 1926 skyscraper with hotels and restaurants.

  • MGM Grand Detroit 8–10 min

    Casino and hotel to the west.

07 / Events

Events near this station

Upcoming events at nearby venues, from our event guide.

All events ↗