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Look back at the road to the Kansas City streetcar’s Main Street extension

After years of elections, traffic cones and testing, the grand opening for the Kansas City streetcar Main Street extension might feel like the end of a marathon for some.

Kansas City Streetcar Authority announced that on Oct. 24, passengers will be able to ride from the River Market to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The grand opening comes after almost a decade of planning and construction. 

For the first time since 1957, a streetcar rolled on tracks down Main Street south of Pershing Road, after crews moved the streetcar 400 feet along the extension during testing.
For the first time since 1957, a streetcar rolled on tracks down Main Street south of Pershing Road, after crews moved the streetcar 400 feet along the extension during testing. Dominick Williams dowilliams@kcstar.com

The original streetcar line opened in downtown Kansas City in May 2016, taking passengers from the River Market to Union Station. Just a month later, transportation advocates started pushing for a southern extension to UMKC.

Here is a timeline of milestones throughout the almost decade-long process to opening the Main Street extension.

June 2016: The Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance starts the process for a UMKC extension just one month after the downtown line opens. They petition courts to create a new taxing district to pay for the extension.

In 2017, voters went to The Whole Person to to vote in one of three elections to pave the way for the Main Street extension.
In 2017, voters went to The Whole Person to to vote in one of three elections to pave the way for the Main Street extension. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

June 2018: Voters approve a plan to increase sales and property taxes within approximately ⅓ of a mile of the streetcar extension. This was the final of three elections to expand the line.

November 2020: Business owners contemplate the prospect of construction and parking issues before possible increased foot traffic when the streetcar opens. 

January 2021: The streetcar extension is awarded $174 million in federal funding to pay for approximately half of the project.

Drivers were forced to navigate a myriad of orange cone and lane changes daily on Main Street in Sept. 2021.
Drivers were forced to navigate a myriad of orange cone and lane changes daily on Main Street in Sept. 2021. Jill Toyoshiba jtoyoshiba@kcstar.com
In Sept. 2021, customers sip coffee and watch construction at the now-closed Transit Coffee, at Main Street and Westport Road, which had a soft opening on Aug. 20. Operating owner Ben White said he believes that the longterm benefits of the streetcar expansion outweigh the increased taxes and short term disruption.
In Sept. 2021, customers sip coffee and watch construction at the now-closed Transit Coffee, at Main Street and Westport Road, which had a soft opening on Aug. 20. Operating owner Ben White said he believes that the longterm benefits of the streetcar expansion outweigh the increased taxes and short term disruption. Jill Toyoshiba jtoyoshiba@kcstar.com
Construction materials and equipment sit on the typically busy intersection of Main Street and Westport Road in Sept. 2021.
Construction materials and equipment sit on the typically busy intersection of Main Street and Westport Road in Sept. 2021. Jill Toyoshiba jtoyoshiba@kcstar.com

February 2021: Main Street becomes a maze of cones as utility companies like KC Water and AT&T move their underground lines. In September, residents along the line worry about being priced out by rising rents and property taxes.

In early 2022, 458 sticks of rails, each 80 feet long and weighing 3,100 pounds, were delivered to the intersection of 27th and Main streets.
In early 2022, 458 sticks of rails, each 80 feet long and weighing 3,100 pounds, were delivered to the intersection of 27th and Main streets. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

January 2022: The first of 700 tons of rail are delivered to Kansas City, in preparation for the April 2022 official groundbreaking and rail signing ceremony. The ceremony came after more than a year of construction on Main to prepare the road for laying the tracks.

For the first time since 1957, a streetcar rolled on tracks down Main Street south of Pershing Road, after crews moved the streetcar 400 feet along the extension during testing.
For the first time since 1957, a streetcar rolled on tracks down Main Street south of Pershing Road, after crews moved the streetcar 400 feet along the extension during testing. Dominick Williams dowilliams@kcstar.com

October 2024: The streetcar rolled south of Pershing for the first time since 1957.

January 2025: Testing began on the Main Street extension, beginning months of testing and training before the streetcar opens to the public.

This story was originally published July 26, 2025 at 11:17 AM.

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Eleanor Nash
The Kansas City Star
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Eleanor Nash is a service journalism reporter at The Star. She covers transportation, local oddities and everything else residents need to know. A Kansas City native and graduate of Wellesley College, she previously worked at The Myrtle Beach Sun News in South Carolina and at KCUR. 
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