KC Streetcar to suspend service. Here’s when, plus how to get around downtown Kansas City

KC Streetcar will temporarily shut down service for about four weeks later this month as it prepares to tie in and connect its Main Street extension with the downtown route, the transit service announced.

Beginning Sept. 30, KC Streetcar will suspend service for about four weeks. During the shutdown, buses marked “Streetcar Link” will take riders along the streetcar route, according to a news release.

The buses will run during regular streetcar hours, with frequencies of approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The fare will be free, and the buses will stop at streetcar stops.

The construction work will also impact traffic. Beginning Sept. 23, northbound Main Street will be closed between Pershing Road and 20th Street. The street will reopen once the work is complete.

Southbound Main Street will remain open during the construction.

Why suspend service?

Crews will work 24 hours a day, including weekends, to complete the construction and key infrastructure improvements needed to connect the southern extension to the existing route.

During the shutdown, crews will:

• Remove the existing crossover north of Pershing Road near Union Station.
• Replace expansion joints on the Main Street Viaduct.
• Construct a new track near the Pershing Road crossover.
• Weld rail to connect the existing line to the new Pershing Rod crossover.
• Pour the final bridge deck on the Main Street Viaduct.
• Adjust the overhead wires that provide electricity to the streetcar.
• Install the real-time arrival sign.
• Finalize construction of the new Union Station Northbound platform and shelter.

Once the work is complete, the KC Streetcar will begin running tests with streetcars running out of service to certify the new infrastructure’s safety, including the Pershing Road crossover and the Union Station Northbound platform, according to the release.

After testing is complete, the streetcar service will resume. Northbound passengers at Union Station will need to board at the new northbound stop, while southbound passengers will continue to exit at the Union Station Southbound stop.

Testing underway on southern extension

KC Streetcar announced last month it had reached a major milestone for the Main Street Extension : streetcars began test runs south of Pershing Road.

Several streetcars traveled south of Pershing Road on Main Street for approximately 400 feet for the first rail testing.

“Testing the new southbound tracks and crossover marks a significant milestone in our Main Street Extension project and is a testament to great work by the entire team,” Tom Gerend, executive director of the KC Streetcar Authority, said in a news release.

“This is the first time streetcars have passed south of Pershing Road since 1957, making us one step closer to reconnecting Kansas City for the next generation,” Gerend said.

Major construction on the roughly $351 million Main Street Extension is expected to wrap up by the end of 2024.

The new route, which will extend streetcar service along Main Street from Union Station to the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, is expected to begin carrying riders in 2025 after months of extensive testing.