KC Streetcar Main Street Extension Is a Game Changer

Kansas City, MO, announces the opening of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension—an ambitious expansion that now carries passengers from the City Market to the University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) campus.

The 3.5-mile southern extension stretches from Union Station to 51^st Street and Brookside Boulevard, weaving through some of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods and activity centers. With this addition, the streetcar line now spans nearly six miles, forming a vital north–south transit spine through the city’s downtown core, cultural districts, and university community.

For riders, the experience remains quintessentially Kansas City: fare-free, zero-emission vehicles gliding through thriving urban corridors. The expansion adds 15 new stops, improved public spaces, enhanced pedestrian access, and eight additional streetcar vehicles—growing the fleet to 14. Connections to regional transit strengthen the system’s role as a cornerstone of seamless urban mobility.

Delivering the extension required major infrastructure investment, including more than 36,000 feet of track and 40,000 feet of electrical wire supported by 353 overhead catenary poles. But for the city and its partners, the scale reflects the project’s transformational promise.

“The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is a game changer—together we are delivering the largest transit project in our region’s history and the realization of a long-term vision for a more connected and vibrant Kansas City,” said Michael Collins, chair of the KC Streetcar Authority Board of Directors.

Planning began in 2017, with groundbreaking in April 2022. The $352 million project was made possible through a partnership between the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, the City of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, with support from the Main Street Rail Transportation Development District. FTA funding accounted for $200 million, with $152 million in local funds completing the financial package.

The KC Streetcar Constructors—a partnership of Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck—led construction, supported by Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction.