Kansas City Streetcar Concept
Streetcar Compared to Light Rail
A modern streetcar is a form of light rail specifically tailored to operation in urban activity centers like the Kansas City Downtown to Crown Center area. The streetcar is a shorter version of the light rail vehicle, but streetcars use the same tracks and electrical power systems as light rail.
Many cities around the country are planning and designing streetcar systems to improve mobility in their urban centers, focus development and serve as feeder services to other transit systems. Portland and Seattle have modern streetcars already operating.
Qualifiying for Federal Funding
The recently completed Alternatives Analysis that studied light rail in Kansas City’s central north/south corridor concluded that the portion of the alignment between the River Market and the Country Club Plaza has the greatest chance of qualifying for federal funding. This segment has the activity centers, population and employment density required to support an investment in rail transit.
The KC Streetcar Concept
The concept for Kansas City is to develop a modern streetcar line about two miles long from the River Market to Crown Center. The purpose is to link the activity centers to enhance mobility and support development in these areas.
A streetcar in this corridor could also help distribute transit passengers throughout downtown and become the first step towards light rail in Kansas City.
The streetcars would operate in mixed traffic, either in the curb lane or second lane. Stops would be spaced about three or four blocks. Streetcars mix very easily with vehicular and pedestrian traffic in these activity centers.
The route would use one of the alignments studied during the Alternatives Analysis. A route along Main Street in the downtown area is being evaluated along with options for Grand and Walnut.
Federal and Local Funding
The specifics of the alignment and financing have not been determined, but information is being assembled for inclusion in an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) TIGER grant application. A TIGER grant could provide most or all of the funding needed to design and construct the streetcar line. Operating costs would be funded by passenger fares and public or private financing.
KCATA does not have the capacity to fund streetcar operating costs. Special transportation improvement districts and public/private partnerships involving sponsorships and other forms of financial support have been successfully used to cover operating costs in other cities.
The capital costs to develop and construct the modern streetcar lines in other cities have been approximately $40 million per mile. The costs for a Kansas City streetcar are being estimated as the details of the streetcar concept are being assembled.
