KC Streetcar 805

Adding to the streetcar fleet allows the KC Streetcar Authority to provide more efficient transit service.

After six weeks of testing and preparation, Kansas City’s newest streetcar, KC Streetcar 805, is rolled out to the public for the first time on July 1, 2019.

KC Streetcar 805 arrived in Kansas City on May 13, 2019, and immediately underwent vigorous safety tests in order to get ready for passenger service. Testing included overnight testing of the functionality of the braking systems, stop distance tests, and propulsion system functionality. Other preparations included the configuration of the Trapeze software system which tracks streetcar location information as well as passenger counts.

The testing process was a collaborative effort with the varied KC Streetcar partners: streetcar manufacturer, CAF, the City of Kansas City, Missouri, the KC Streetcar Authority, the KC Area Transportation Authority, and Operations & Maintenance contractor, Herzog Transit.

“The addition of a fifth streetcar to our fleet allows us to provide more reliable and efficient public transit service for our riders,” said Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority.

KC Streetcar riders will notice a change in streetcar service with the addition of KC Streetcar 805 to the fleet. Weekday streetcar service will now add a fourth streetcar to the route between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to accommodate lunchtime crowds.

There will also be increased streetcar service during First Fridays and weekends, with four streetcar service on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate weekend crowds.

The most noticeable result of adding a fourth streetcar to the service is the decrease in passenger wait times from 10-15 minutes to 7-10 minutes on average.