The Metro

A look at public transit history and where it's headed in Detroit

Listen Later

For a good chunk of the 20th century, railcars took Detroiters from point A to point B. 

Along Gratiot and Grand River, people didn’t even own cars. They were too expensive, but there was also no reason to because streetcars crisscrossed Detroit and even went out to places like Port Huron and Ann Arbor. 

In 2025, new cars are really expensive, car insurance is very costly, and public transit is worse today than it was 100 years ago. Today on The Metro, we’re looking at the history and future of public transit in the Motor City. 

Guests: 

Robert Pfaff: A professor of community and regional planning at Iowa State University. He wrote his dissertation at the University of Michigan about the history of Detroit’s streetcar system. 

Robert Cramer: Director of Detroit’s Department of Transportation. 

More headlines from The Metro on March 26: 

  • Mayor Mike Duggan gave his last State of City address last night. He touted his accomplishments and his work to build coalitions. We talked to WDET Senior News Editor Quinn Klinefelter about the speech. 
  • The Department of Education does a lot of things to support college students. One of its primary functions WAS to administer federal student loans and payment plans for college students and graduates, pograms that help make college accessible for students of all income levels. Michelle Zampini is the Senior Director of College Affordability for The Institute of College Access & Success. She joins the show to talk about what student loans and repayments could look like under the Trump Administration. 
  • WDET's Ryan Patrick Hooper talked with DSO president Erik Ronmark about the release of "Blues Symphony."
    • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    The MetroBy WDET
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    3 ratings

    More shows like The Metro

    View all
    Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

    Freakonomics Radio

    32,134 Listeners

    The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

    The New Yorker Radio Hour

    6,763 Listeners

    Planet Money by NPR

    Planet Money

    30,672 Listeners

    The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

    The NPR Politics Podcast

    25,863 Listeners

    99% Invisible by Roman Mars

    99% Invisible

    26,218 Listeners

    Make Me Smart by Marketplace

    Make Me Smart

    5,476 Listeners

    The Daily by The New York Times

    The Daily

    112,758 Listeners

    Decoder Ring by Slate Podcasts

    Decoder Ring

    2,122 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    16,239 Listeners

    Consider This from NPR by NPR

    Consider This from NPR

    6,402 Listeners

    The MeidasTouch Podcast by MeidasTouch Network

    The MeidasTouch Podcast

    50,084 Listeners

    The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

    The Ezra Klein Show

    16,042 Listeners

    Unexplainable by Vox

    Unexplainable

    2,315 Listeners

    The Focus Group Podcast by The Bulwark

    The Focus Group Podcast

    2,552 Listeners

    Plain English with Derek Thompson by The Ringer

    Plain English with Derek Thompson

    2,289 Listeners