Following a three-week-long service suspension, the KC Streetcar is back up and running as of October 22. The suspension was necessary to allow for construction to connect the current downtown route to the Main Street Extension, the 3.5-mile extension south to University of Missouri -KC that is currently under construction. The Main Street Extension will add 16 stops and construction is expected to be complete in 2025.
During October’s KC Streetcar closure, KC Streetcar worked with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) to have dedicated “Streetcar Link” buses available to transit users along the existing streetcar route. The buses were in operation during regular streetcar hours, stopped at streetcar stops, and had a frequency of 10-12 minutes.
While the KC Streetcar construction closure was ongoing, the KC Streetcar team performed maintenance along the downtown route, including the rehab of track slab and the addition of new track drains at 20th Street and Main Street.
Upon the reopening of KC Streetcar service, Tom Gerend, Executive Director of the KC Streetcar Authority said, “We’re excited to be back in service and to bring Kansas City closer to the future of transit with the Main Street Extension. We appreciate the community’s patience during the temporary streetcar suspension and are eager to continue serving the downtown area while we make progress on this significant expansion.”
Visit the KC Streetcar website for more construction-related news and updates.