KC Streetcar

For the streetcar routes operated in the 19th and 20th centuries, see Streetcars in Kansas City.
KC Streetcar
Overview
Owner City of Kansas City, Missouri
Locale Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Transit type Modern streetcar
Number of lines 1[1]
Number of stations 16 stops[1]
Website kcstreetcar.org
Operation
Operation will start May 6, 2016[2]
Operator(s) Kansas City Streetcar Authority
Character Street running
Number of vehicles 4 CAF Urbos 3[3]
Technical
System length 2 mi (3.2 km)[1]
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification 750 V overhead line
Route diagram
Legend
River Market North(3rd/Grand)
River Market West(4th/Delaware)
City Market(5th/Walnut)
I-35 / I-70
North Loop(7th/Main)
Library(9th/Main)
10th Street Transit Hub Bus interchangeBicycle facilities
Metro Center(12th/Main)
Power & Light(14th/Main)
I-670
Kauffman Center(16th/Main)
Crossroads(19th/Main)
Kansas City Terminal Railway
Union Station

The KC Streetcar, formally branded as the RideKC Streetcar,[4] is a streetcar system in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.[5] Construction began in May 2014.[6] It began public revenue service on May 6, 2016.[2]

Operating authority

The streetcar is operated by the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, a not-for-profit corporation. The authority was incorporated in August 2012 after voters approved creation of the Kansas City Downtown Transportation Development District,[7] a special taxing district that will fund construction and operation of a two-mile streetcar route through downtown Kansas City. Legal claims against the district and its taxation power were dismissed in August 2013.[8] Final design for this starter line is underway, as of 2013. The streetcar began construction in May 2014, was completed in fall 2015, and started carrying passengers in revenue service on May 6th, 2016.[1]

The Streetcar Authority's 13 directors, a mix of public officials, business people, and transit advocates, were appointed in late 2012 and met for the first time as an officially sanctioned body in early 2013.[9] The authority's oversight of the streetcar's operation and maintenance is modeled on that of the Portland Streetcar. The city council has the power to appoint the some of the authority's directors and retains ownership over the system.

Day-to-day operations and maintenance of the system will be handled by Herzog Transit Services Inc., under joint contract to the Streetcar Authority and the City of Kansas City. The contract was signed in October 2015.[10]

Planning and construction

After earlier efforts to create a metro- or city-wide rail transit system failed at the ballot box, voters in downtown Kansas City approved funding for a two-mile streetcar line in December 2012.[11] This line, which will run between the River Market and Union Station, is envisioned as the trunk of a wider system of streetcar routes in the city. The possibility of extending the line south to the Country Club Plaza and north of the Missouri River, as well as along several east-west routes, is already being studied.[12]

In December 2012, the city council awarded a contract to HDR, Inc. to complete a final design for the downtown streetcar line.[13] HDR had previously performed preliminary engineering work. In October 2013, the mayor announced that the system will use 100% low-floor Urbos 3 streetcars made by the American subsidiary of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Elmira Heights, New York.[14] Pre-construction work, utility-relocation work in preparation for the project, began in late 2013, and construction of the line began in May 2014.[6] The streetcar is expected to begin carrying passengers in early 2016.[1][6]

The projected cost of the Downtown Streetcar is $102,000,000.[15] The majority of funds will come from Special Obligation Bonds of the City of Kansas City, Missouri totaling $63,955,000. Construction bonds and operating costs will repaid by a special assessment and one-cent sales tax collected inside a transportation development district approved by voters in 2012. Both levies will be assessed only within the taxing district, which encompasses downtown neighborhoods along the streetcar route. Additional funding includes a utility contribution and two federal grants totaling $17.1 million.[16] The project received another $20 million federal grant, through the TIGER program, in August 2013.[17] Passengers will ride free of charge.[18]

The streetcars will be numbered 801-804, following the numbering set up by the original Kansas City Public Service Company numbering system. Car 801 arrived in Kansas City on November 2, 2015.[19] Testing began on November 6.[20] Car 802 arrived on December 9.

Illustration of the KC Streetcar

Route and stops

The downtown streetcar will run between the River Market and Union Station, through the central business district and the Crossroads, mostly along Main Street. It will make stops about every two blocks.[18] Along the way it will connect directly with Amtrak, local and commuter bus services (including a direct route to Kansas City International Airport), and several B-cycle bike-share kiosks.

Proponents tout this initial linear segment as one of the simplest and straightest modern streetcar routes in the United States. All platforms offer level boarding and real-time arrival information.[21]

Stop In the area
City Market (5th/Walnut) River Market, City Market (south), Arabia Steamboat Museum
River Market North (3rd/Grand) River Market, B-cycle, City Market (northeast), Town of KS bridge, Ride KC 3rd and Grand MetroCenter
River Market West (Delaware) River Market, City Market Park
North Loop (7th/Main) Garment District
Library (9th/Main) Financial District, Library District, Central Library, B-cycle, Commerce Tower, Ride KC 10th and Main MetroCenter
MetroCenter (12th/Main) One Kansas City Place, Town Pavillion, City Center Square, Ride KC Bus and MAX transfer, Power & Light District (north end), Barney Allis Plaza
Power & Light (14th/Main) Power & Light District (south end), Kansas City Convention Center (north end), Municipal Auditorium, Sprint Center, Power & Light tower, One Light
Kauffman Center (16th/Main) Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City Convention Center (south end), Crossroads Arts District
Crossroads (19th/Main) Crossroads Arts District, Freight House, Freight House Pedestrian Bridge
Union Station Amtrak, B-cycle, Crown Center, Penn Valley Park, Pershing Square, Washington Square Park, The Link, Liberty Memorial and National WW1 Museum, National Archives, Freight House Pedestrian Bridge

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kansas City is on the MOVE with the KC Streetcar". KCStreetcar.org. KC Downtown Streetcar. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
  2. 1 2 "Celebration Time!". KCStreetcar.org. KC Streetcar. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
  3. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (January 7, 2014). "KC will send three city staff members to Spain for streetcar workshops". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  4. ↑ "KC Streetcar Brand Revealed". KC Streetcar (Press release). Kansas City Streetcar Authority. August 28, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Streetcars Are Up To Date In Kansas City". Forbes. June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-27. In December, Residents of Kansas City approved the construction of a two-mile, downtown streetcar line after a mail-in election.
  6. 1 2 3 Horsley, Lynn (May 22, 2014). "KC breaks ground for streetcars — and OKs advance spending on expansion". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2014-07-06.
  7. ↑ Bender, Jonathan (August 3, 2012). "Kansas City Streetcar Authority is up and running". The Pitch (Kansas City Pitch LLC). Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  8. ↑ "Appeal from the Circuit Court of Jackson County The Honorable Peggy Stevens McGraw, Judge". The Missouri Court of Appeals Western District. August 7, 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  9. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (January 2, 2013). "Streetcar Authority mulls options in first official meeting". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  10. ↑ DVV Media UK. "Herzog Transit Services signs Kansas City Streetcar operating contract". Railway Gazette.
  11. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (December 12, 2012). "Kansas City voters approve streetcar plan". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  12. ↑ "Top 12 transit stories of 2012". TransitKC. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  13. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (December 21, 2012). "Kansas City streetcar’s first stop: Construction plans". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  14. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (October 4, 2013). "Spanish firm CAF will supply streetcars". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-10-06.
  15. ↑ "Kansas City streetcar costs are comparable to other cities". kansascity.
  16. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (May 22, 2013). "Kansas City streetcar seeks $20 million TIGER grant". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  17. ↑ Alonzo, Austin (August 30, 2013). "Kansas City wins $20M federal TIGER grant for streetcar". Kansas City Business Journal (Bizjournals.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  18. 1 2 Hand, Gunnar (January 15, 2013). "Streetcar Renaissance". The Architect's Newspaper (Archpaper.com). Retrieved 2013-09-02.
  19. ↑ Horsley, Lynn. "First KC streetcar vehicle rolls into town". kansascity.com. Kansas City Star. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  20. ↑ Horsley, Lynn. "Kansas City streetcar passes first test on downtown tracks". www.kansascity.com. Kansas City Star. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "How to Ride".

External links

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