KC Streetcar Authority

IRIS workers say they were misled about pay and aren't being treated fairly by their employer zTrip. Drivers demanded the right to unionize last year.

Final preparations are underway for the KC Streetcar's Main Street extension grand opening on Oct. 24. And the riverfront extension is expected to launch in early 2026.

Kansas City's streetcar has been under construction for years, frustrating some business owners across midtown. The 3.5-mile extension between Union Station and UMKC will begin service on Friday, Oct. 24.

All the track has been laid for the KC Streetcar routes north to the Berkley Riverfront and south to UMKC. But riders won't be able to enjoy the transit options this summer, and opening dates have yet to be set.

Kansas City’s new streetcar has spurred the construction of more than 1,400 new apartment units along Main Street since 2017. These are some of the highlights, including historic renovations and new buildings.

With all the track for the KC Streetcar expansion to UMKC now installed, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the project is about 93% done. What's left though is months of testing before it can open next summer.

Kansas City's streetcar will stop running at the end of September so that construction crews can connect the existing tracks at Union Station to the UMKC extension. The city will offer bus service along the route during the outage.

Kansas City Manager Brian Platt says construction on the KC Streetcar southern extension is in its final stages, and the route remains on track to open next year. Meanwhile, talks of potential east-west extensions are still in the works.

The Current’s new riverfront stadium was meant to encourage fans to take transit, bike or walk to games instead of driving. But Kansas City still hasn’t caught up — and it’s left the team and other entertainment venues to fill in the gaps.

Since 2017, the Kansas City Streetcar Holiday Jam brings live music and local musicians to crowds of tourists and shoppers traveling between Union Station and River Market.

Planning for a future East-West streetcar line is still in the early stages. But the possible line would have sixteen stops connecting Van Brunt Boulevard to the University of Kansas Health System.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority typically charges local organizations thousands of dollars to sponsor decorations for its vehicles. But rather than being paid for by Mattel or Warner Bros. Pictures, the hot pink and reference-filled “Dream Streetcar” came out of the agency’s mostly tax-funded budget.