Kami Pothukuchi, Wayne State associate professor of urban planning, commented about the recent revenue boom generated by the People Mover. She said a transit system is essential for Detroit to grow and compete with other big cities such as Chicago and New York. Pothukuchi added that the system moves people around when they get to downtown, but it\'s not an alternative for a transit system that provides access from various parts of the city to the downtown region. Marsden Burger, former operations manager of the People Mover, who has lobbied for expanding the train\'s route north to the Detroit Medical Center and the New Center area, said this idea would also extend the route to Wayne State. This, he said, would create a new downtown, four miles long.