*Service Is Back*

As of Tuesday evening, October 22, the KC Streetcar is back in downtown service.

After successful construction and system testing, the KC Streetcar resumed downtown service the evening of Tuesday, October 22, marking the completion of the critical track tie-in work for the highly anticipated Main Street Extension.

Completed ahead of schedule, the roughly three-week construction period allowed the KC Streetcar Constructors to connect the current downtown route to the Main Street Extension, the 3.5-mile extension south to UMKC.  In addition to track work, the KC Streetcar Constructors work included:

• Demolition and removal of existing track turnouts and track slabs. 
• Removal of the existing crossover located north of Pershing Road. 
• Expansion joint replacement on the Main Street Viaduct.
• Welding rail and construction of the final northbound and southbound track needed in the area.
• Rehabilitation of the bridge deck on the Main Street Viaduct.
• Construction of a northbound Union Station stop.
• Installation of OCS poles and overhead wires.
• Paved and striped the roadway and installed new traffic control signage.

New Northbound Union Station Stop 
Riders will notice a change when boarding from Union Station. All passengers wanting to ride north towards downtown will now board from the new Union Station Northbound Streetcar stop on the east side of Main Street at Pershing Road. When traveling south towards Union Station, all passengers are required to exit the streetcar at the Union Station Southbound stop. Once the streetcar departs the Union Station Southbound Stop, passengers wanting to re-board and ride northbound will need to cross Main Street to board from the Union Station Northbound stop. Riders and pedestrians must cross the street at either the mid-block crosswalk or the crosswalk at the corner of Main Street and Pershing Road.

“We’re excited to be back in service and to bring Kansas City closer to the future of transit with the Main Street Extension,” said Tom Gerend, Executive Director of the KC Streetcar Authority. “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.”

During the streetcar system outage, public transportation continued downtown on Main Street through the partnership with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, or Ride KC. Dedicated “Streetcar Link” buses were deployed along the streetcar route. These buses operated during regular streetcar hours, stopped at designated streetcar stops, and ran with frequencies of approximately 10-12 minutes. 

Additionally, during the service suspension, the KC Streetcar team performed some routine maintenance along the downtown route. This work included the rehab of track slab and construction of new track drains at 20th Street and Main Street. 

With the completion of this phase, KC Streetcar is one step closer to opening the Main Street Extension to the public in 2025, providing increased connectivity and mobility options for residents and visitors alike.

Read more about the track tie-in construction and related work.