Overnight Testing for #807

KC STREETCAR #807 TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT ROUTE TESTING

Overnight testing on the downtown streetcar route of KC Streetcar #807 will continue this week between 12:30am – 5:00am.

SCHEDULE:

• March 7: Testing will take place on Main Street between 17th Street and Pershing Road between 12:30am – 5:00am.

During this time, Main Street will be closed to all traffic between 17th Street and Pershing Road. However, eastbound and westbound movements on 17th Street will be permissible. Additionally, there will be no on-street parking allowed in this area while KC Streetcar #807 is undergoing testing.

• March 8: Testing will take place along 5th Street between Delaware and Grand Blvd between 12:30am – 5:00am.

During this time, 5th Street will be closed to all traffic between Delaware and Grand Blvd. Additionally, there will be no on-street parking allowed in this area while KC Streetcar #807 is undergoing testing.

There should not be any loud noise associated with the testing of KC Streetcar #807. Times are approximate and weather dependent.

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Overnight testing will be Thursday, February 22 from 12:30am – 5:00am. Testing will take place on Main Street between 17th Street and Pershing Road. There should not be any loud noise associated with the testing of KC Streetcar #807. Times are approximate and weather dependent.

During this time, Main Street will be closed to all traffic between 17th Street and Pershing Road. However, eastbound and westbound movements on 17th Street will be permissible. Additionally, there will be no on-street parking allowed in this area while KC Streetcar #807 is undergoing testing.

Kansas City’s newest streetcar, #807 started overnight testing this week. This marked the first time that #807 traveled along the downtown streetcar route after in-shop inspections and testing.  

Just five days after its arrival from Elmira, N.Y., KC Streetcar #807 hit the tracks under its own power to perform nighttime testing. This first test run of #807 was conducted along Main Street between 18^th Street and Pershing Road and included various propulsion and brake tests. During that time, Main Street was closed to all traffic and on-street parking was prohibited between 18^th Street and Pershing Road.  Members of the streetcar project team including KC Streetcar Authority, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Herzog Transit Services Inc., and CAF (manufacturer of the streetcar vehicles), worked collaboratively on this first test run of the KC Streetcar #807.

Night testing of #807 will continue this evening and next week. CAF-manufactured streetcars contain three different braking systems: friction, dynamic, and track (emergency) brakes. Nighttime tests will monitor all three braking systems and are performed with empty, or light load, streetcars, as well as fully loaded and weighted streetcars to simulate crowded and max loaded streetcars. Upcoming test runs will include further tests of the brake system in various scenarios, including under maximum vehicle speeds of 43mph. During on-route testing, the public is asked to keep a safe distance from crews while tests are being performed. Any automobiles in unsafe proximity to testing will be towed. 

Since its arrival on February 2, KC Streetcar #807 has gone through a series of inspections and static (non-movement) vehicle tests within the Singleton Yard Vehicle Maintenance Facility. These inspections included visual inspections and systems checks (vehicle leveling, interior sensors, door mechanisms, etc.).  KC Streetcar #807 will go through several weeks of testing before being put into public operation once all tests are successfully completed and the streetcar is deemed safe for passenger service. 

As with the original streetcars, each new streetcar is a bi-directional vehicle approximately 77 feet long and weighs 78,000 lbs. New Streetcars will come with new interior displays showing next stop arrivals, an enhanced on-board video surveillance system, and other system upgrades including exterior lights, air compressors, train-to-wayside communication system, and an advanced driver assist system (ADAS). All existing streetcars will be retrofit to meet the new specifications.