Beginning in 1983, SEMTA oversaw the construction of the Detroit People Mover, which was conceived as part of a much larger which consisted of light rail lines and a downtown subway. Mismanagement of the project resulted in tens-of-millions of dollars of cost overruns, causing the federal government to pull out of the project. In 1985, with the half-built project in limbo, the city of Detroit negotiated with SEMTA to take over the project, and it was transferred to the newly created Detroit Transportation Corporation.