KC Streetcar Main Street extension officially opens. ‘A monumental milestone’

Kansas Citians can officially ride a streetcar through Midtown for the first time in almost 70 years.

Years in the making, the Kansas City Streetcar’s extension down Main Street/Brookside Boulevard opened to the public Friday, on time and under budget. The $352 million extension, funded through a mix of federal and local dollars, means riders can now take the streetcar all the way from River Market, through downtown, the Crossroads and Country Club Plaza, to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The full line now stretches nearly six miles. Another extension that will connect the Berkley Riverfront and KC Current stadium to the system is expected to open in 2026.

“There’s no question: this is a monumental milestone,” Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, said Friday.

KC Streetcar

The first section of the streetcar, which opened in 2016, ran through downtown and ended at Union Station. The extension began construction in 2022. Officials have studied the possibility of future extensions, including along 39th Street and to the 18th and Vine historic district.

Kansas City once had an extensive streetcar system with miles and miles of lines that ran through the city, into its neighborhoods and across the state line, but the last line closed in 1957 as the city made way for the automobile.

The extension opening represents new investment in public transit and walkability in Kansas City’s urban core alongside other projects like the ongoing road diet along Broadway Boulevard and the planned streetscape renovations on Southwest Boulevard.

“Together, we have built more than a transit line,” said Michael Collins, chair of the streetcar authority board of directors. “We built confidence in Kansas City’s ability to deliver complex and transformative infrastructure.”

Eric Bunch, city council member for the Fourth District, said the project reflects what happens when a community comes together with a shared vision, from neighborhood associations and local businesses to city staff and particularly advocates who worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Bunch brought his twin daughters to the opening and noted that they’d be able to ride the streetcar back to school.

“I’m a parent of young children, and what public transit does, especially something like the streetcar, is it allows our young people of Kansas City to have freedom to explore their city, to enjoy the things that we all get to enjoy and experience the city in new ways,” he said.

City Manager Mario Vasquez reminisced about Kansas City’s major developments in the 28 years since he moved to the city — including T-Mobile Center, the National WWI Museum and the KC Current Stadium.

“We still have a baseball team to bring downtown,” he said.

Mayor Quinton Lucas brought his young son for the occasion.

“My four-year-old son gets a chance to know a Kansas City with this great, fixed connection throughout our community,” Lucas said. “We get to build it for so many more, and we get to say that Kansas City truly is a city that cares about its history, has reclaimed legacy areas like the riverfront, Union Station, downtown, the Plaza and more. But more than anything, Kansas City is committed to connecting people for generations ahead.”

As the official opening approached, Lucas asked, “Kansas City, are you ready to ride?”

Streetcar extension opens

Finally, a little before 10:40 a.m. Oct. 24, the streetcar extension opened with a burst of colored smoke as riders lined up and soon packed each car at the Plaza stop.

Further opening celebrations were planned for Friday, including a picnic on the UMKC Recreational South Field with live music and a drone show in the evening.

Kansas City Streetcar route and schedule

New cars have been added to the line, and the streetcar will still arrive at each stop about every 10 to 12 minutes through most of the day. The streetcar’s hours are 5 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday and 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

The streetcar remains free to ride. Riders quickly greeted the extension with enthusiasm and excitement after the opening and took photos to document the historic moment.

John Dobies, a retired engineer, said he worked on the project when it first began, but said the city has been studying it since the 1980s.

He called his friend, a current engineer on the project, while he rode.

”It’s awesome,” he told his friend.

Nathan Burns-Sprung rode his bike from Overland Park to the opening ceremony. He’s a caretaker for people with disabilities and riding the streetcar is a favorite free form of entertainment.

With the streetcar, he plans to extend his streetcar outings to the Plaza Library, “our favorite branch.”

Zahra Nasrazadani and her son Zadvieh have only been in Kansas City for a year, but they have recently enjoyed riding the streetcar. They weren’t planning to be on the inaugural ride but her son’s love of planes, trains and automobiles brought them out for the opening.

“It’s amazing… I think it’s a huge asset to the city,” Nasrazadani said.

The Star’s Robert Cronkleton, PJ Green and Eleanor Nash contributed.

This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 1:27 PM.