Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

Following a Grand Opening ceremony on Friday, Oct. 24, KC Streetcar’s Main Street Southern Extension will offer riders a public transit route from the City Market to 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard, completing this $352 million federally and locally funded project.

Friday’s ceremony — beginning at 10 a.m. at the Plaza Transit Center — will feature remarks from Federal Transit Administration officials, elected officials including Kansas City Mayor Quintin Lucas and other community leaders. Following this ceremony, riders will be able to board awaiting streetcars for trips north to Union Station, downtown and the City Market, or south to the rail terminus at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) campus.

This extension adds 3. 5 miles to the current streetcar route, as well as 15 new stops, improved pedestrian access and public spaces. Eight new streetcars will be in service — for a total of 14 — operating for 18 hours daily, providing a nearly six mile “transit spine” through the heart of Kansas City.

Additional celebrations are planned to mark the Main Street Extension. On Friday, Oct. 24, a celebration will provide live music and a chance to picnic on the UMKC Recreational South Field. Entertainment begins at 5 p.m. with additional act performances at 6:30 and 8 p.m., with a drone show at 7:30 p.m. and family-fun activities concluding at 9 p.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, Tracks & Treats Midtown Fall Fest will provide activities at Murray Davis Park (40th St. & Main) with the Stone Lion Puppets performing at 12 p.m., followed by additional local performers. This event will conclude with a performance by the Pythons Drill Team at 4:15 p.m. Attendees are invited to bring chairs, blankets and picnic baskets or utilize the streetcar to visit their favorite eatery along Main Street.

Planning for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension began in April 2017, and the project officially broke ground on April 6, 2022. KC Streetcar’s Riverfront Extension is currently under construction with a completion date of early 2026, adding 0.7 miles and connecting the Berkley Riverfront to UMKC and points in between.

KC Streetcar operates Monday-Thursday from 6 a.m. to midnight, Friday, 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to midnight. During peak ridership hours, riders can expect to wait 10-15 minutes between streetcars and 12-18 minutes during off-peak hours.

Operating hours are reduced on holidays and posted at kcstreetcar.org