KC Streetcar expansion to North Kansas City is floated. See how to learn more
Just weeks after the KC Streetcar celebrated the opening of its Riverfront extension, attention is shifting to the idea of expanding the service across the Missouri River into North Kansas City.
The Kansas City Streetcar Authority announced Tuesday that it and North Kansas City, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Transportation and Kansas City, will hold two meetings in the coming weeks to provide an update on the status of the NorthRail Streetcar Study.
The next phase of the study is underway and includes advance planning and environmental review.
The study’s project team will host two open-house-style meetings to share the latest status of the study, changes from previous studies and the next steps.
The meetings will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on June 11 at Cinder Block Brewery, 110 E. 18th St. in North Kansas City, and from 4 to 6 p.m. on June 17 at River Bluff Brewing, 201 Main St. in Kansas City.
The meetings will have no formal presentation, but will offer a casual, come-and-go opportunity to view the latest information on the study and to talk to project team members, the KC Streetcar said.
KC Streetcar plans
Along with advanced planning and environmental review, the scope for this project includes public engagement, bridge assessment, and updated cost estimates and financial plan, according to the KC Streetcar website.
The work will build on the 2021/2022 NorthRail Refresh Study, which found that the Heart of America Bridge was the most cost-effective way to cross the Missouri River.
While the refresh study examined both Burlington and Swift streets in North Kansas City as possible alignments, there was a strong consensus that Swift Street was the preferred alignment.
At the time, it was estimated to cost up to $221.1 million to extend the streetcar north of the Missouri River, according to the study.
Other KC Streetcar expansions
At the Riverfront extension opening last month, Mayor Quinton Lucas teased the future of streetcar development in Kansas City.
“Our next phase is how we bridge those divides that have broken up our community for too long — across Troost Avenue, across the state line,” Lucas said.
The Streetcar Authority has studied a variety of expansion possibilities, though they haven’t secured money to build them.
This year, the KC Streetcar Authority conducted 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.
Monthly streetcar ridership has more than doubled from a year ago, after the Main Street extension opened in late October. In April, the streetcar reported 380,609 riders, which compares to 123,683 for the same month in 2025.
