We have an opening date for the Riverfront KC Streetcar extension. Here’s when
After almost a decade of construction and planning, the Kansas City Streetcar will fully open its expanded tracks next month.
The Riverfront streetcar extension will open Monday, May 18.
Kansas Citians will be able to take the streetcar from the University of Missouri-Kansas City to CPKC Stadium, Berkley Riverfront Park and the Missouri River, according to a Kansas City Streetcar Authority press release.
“We are reconnecting our riverfront for the next generation,” Tom Gerend, executive director of the streetcar authority, wrote in the release.
“This streetcar extension represents our intentional return to where it all started and will serve as the new northern terminus for the 6.5 mile transit spine connecting our growing riverfront to downtown, UMKC, and everything in between.”
The public is invited to a news conference and celebration at 11 a.m. on May 18.
Riverfront streetcar route
Riverfront residents can already hear the dings of the streetcar, as operators practice navigating the 0.7 miles of new rails. Installing the 12,000 feet of overhead wire and 8,300 feet of track took two years.
The Grand Boulevard pedestrian bridge is expected to officially open in early May, though pedestrians were able to cross over the weekend. The city-managed pedestrian and bike bridge from the River Market to the Riverfront adjoins the streetcar tracks.
A sculptural riverfront pavilion is expected to be completed around the same time the extension opens. The separately-funded northmost terminus of the streetcar system will provide seating and cover for streetcar riders with a design that echoes the nearby Missouri River.
Streetcar ridership
Monthly streetcar ridership has more than doubled over last year after the Main Street extension opened in October. On average, 8,829 people rode the streetcar each day in February 2026, compared to 2,361 daily ridership the year before.
There is no money for more streetcar expansions, though the Streetcar Authority has studied a variety of possiblities.
The KC Streetcar Authority is working on a feasibility study for an east-west route from the Crossroads to 18th and Vine, hosting community meetings and assessing the state of the corridor.
From 2022 to 2024, a study looked into the possibility of an east-west streetcar connecting the University of Kansas Medical Center and the VA Hospital along 39th Street and Linwood Boulevard.
Twice, the authority has researched extending the streetcar across the river into North Kansas City, first in 2014 and then in 2021-2.
