Kansas City streetcar delivery is now expected Monday

Kansas City’s first streetcar vehicle has passed its final tests in New York and is cleared for transport. Delivery is now expected in Kansas City on Monday.

Streetcar Authority spokeswoman Donna Mandelbaum said Kansas City has signed a release with streetcar vehicle manufacturer CAF USA in Elmira, N.Y., to transport the vehicle.

It was scheduled to be driven Friday out of New York state, loaded on a giant truck specially equipped to carry the vehicle. If all goes as planned, the streetcar should be here on Monday, Mandelbaum said.

More details about the delivery and arrival time should be available later.

This is the first of four vehicles that will ultimately be used to operate Kansas City’s $100 million streetcar system from the River Market to near Union Station. The vehicles will undergo extensive testing on the more than 2-mile route before they begin carrying passengers. Officials hope the system can open to the public in spring 2016.

Also Thursday, a city auditor’s report said the streetcar’s governing structure makes the city ineligible for operational grants on the streetcar starter line. That’s because the Streetcar Authority is a no-bid third party contractor with the city that was appointed rather than selected through a competitive process.

Sherri McIntyre, the city’s public works director, responded that the Streetcar Authority was created to safeguard the needs of both the city and downtown property owners. She said the rail system’s budget does not require any federal funding for operations.

McIntyre added that Kansas City and the Streetcar Authority work closely with the Federal Transit Administration to ensure compliance in all projects and will continue to work cooperatively with the FTA to address any future risks to funding.

Meanwhile, the KC Streetcar Authority team, headed by Herzog Transit Services, is seeking qualified employees for the new downtown streetcar system.

Operator and mechanic positions are available, along with other opportunities.

More information is at the Herzog Transit website at https://herzogtransit.hiretouch.com/careers/transit-job-search. All questions should be directed to Herzog Transit Services at 816-233-9001.

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Kansas City streetcar delivery is now expected Monday."