KC Streetcar Winter Weather

The KC Streetcar team working around the clock to keep riders and operators safe and streetcar route and overhead wires clear of forming ice.

 

UPDATE 6:40 p.m. KC Streetcar service resumed with two vehicles and remained on the route until closing time (midnight).

 

UPDATE: 12:50 p.m. Two KC Streetcars have been towed back to the Singleton Yard. The third streetcar will continue to run the route in order to keep ice from forming on the overhead wires.  Two Ride KC buses continue to offer free service on the streetcar route.

 

Safety is our first priority and the team is working to safely clear overhead wires and resume service as soon as possible.  All plans were executed by the team as intended.  Once this weather event has concluded, the team, as always, will review procedures and identify opportunities for future improvement.

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On January 11, 2018, at 9:00 a.m., KC Streetcar service was suspended due to ice build up on the overhead wires and supplemented with two Ride KC buses. These buses display “Streetcar Link” on the digital displays and are running the streetcar route on Main Street from the River Market to Union Station. These “Streetcar Link” buses are picking up passengers from designated streetcar stops for free, just as with the KC Streetcar. These buses will be in service until regular KC Streetcar service is resumed.

 

The KC Streetcar team is currently dealing with ice build up on the overhead wires as well as on the pantographs on top of the streetcars, which connects the streetcar to the wires and brings power to the streetcars.  All streetcar stops and platforms were pre-treated earlier this morning and will constantly be monitored throughout the day.  Overhead wires and pantographs were treated with de-icer this morning prior to service and intermittently during service. However, with the rate of falling precipitation and the drastic drop in temperatures, ice formed on the pantographs and wires quickly. Continuously running streetcars also aide in keeping overhead wires clear of ice.

 

The streetcar operators are taking every safety precaution to make sure riders are safe, which may include speed restrictions at times once service resumes.

 

For the latest weather and rider updates, sign up for text alerts by texting “kcstreetcar” to 797979. Updates are also posted on the KC Streetcar Twitter and Facebook accounts.

 

The KC Streetcar is also online at www.kcstreetcar.org and on Twitter (@kcstreetcar), Facebook (@kcstreetcar) and Instagram.