Portion of KC streetcar line down, replaced with buses Tuesday morning. For how long?
Streetcar commuters, beware. The downtown portion of the Kansas City streetcar was down and replaced with buses as of Tuesday morning.
RideKC sent a text alert at 8:12 a.m. saying between Union Station and River Market, KCATA buses would serve streetcar stops Tuesday morning. The two buses are scheduled to arrive every 15 to 20 minutes, said Donna Mandelbaum, KC Streetcar Authority spokesperson.
South of Union Station, the streetcar would still run every 10 minutes, according to the message.
A gas leak in the River Market caused the streetcar outage which was expected to last all morning.
The “small leak” was found on the exterior of a building at 5th and Delaware Street, John Mink, Spire spokesperson, said Tuesday morning.
No one was evacuated and there are no safety concerns, Mink said. But fixing the leak blocks the road.
“We have equipment and vehicles in the roadway, and may have to do some excavation in that area,” he said.
The repair work is expected to take all morning, and could stretch into the afternoon, according to Mink.
Mandelbaum said the Streetcar Authority will send an alert through RideKC NotifyR when the tracks are reopened. Riders can also monitor the streetcar using the arrival signs at stops or the Transit app.
This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
