KC Streetcar Riverfront Extension is Now Open for Public Transit

KC Streetcar's 0.7 mile extension to the Riverfront area is officially open for passengers. Photo credit: Will Crow.

Posted May 19, 2025

The KC Streetcar officially opened its $62 million Riverfront extension, adding 0.7 miles to its route.

The KC Streetcar held a press conference on Monday to debut the project. With the extension open, the public can now travel from the CPKC Pavilion to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“Since its opening 10 years ago, the Kansas City Streetcar system has carried millions of riders, spurred billions in development activity, and reconnected Kansas Citians and our visitors with efficient, reliable, free, and safe fixed rail transit through the core of our city,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a release. “The new streetcar connection to the riverfront links the riverfront’s transformational urban redevelopment and recreation amenities with our vibrant, growing urban core.”

The Riverfront extension first broke ground in 2024 and was a partnership between the KC Streetcar Authority, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Port KC, and the City of Kansas City, Missouri.

The construction of the Riverfront extension was led by Radmacher Brothers Excavating (RBE), supported by a team including RS/WITEC JV, Delta Rail, Wilson & Company, PM Dynamics, Boundary & Construction Surveying, IBC, Grey Diamond, Realm Construction, Hayes Drilling, Welch Erosion Control, and Parson + Associates.

The Riverfront Extension key construction elements:

  • 76 new overhead catenary system (OCS) poles, ranging from 28 to 54 feet high
  • Approximately 12,000 feet of OCS wire
  • One new Traction Power Sub-Station (TPSS)
  • More than 8,300 feet of new track installed
  • 296 posts with nearly 2,200 linear feet of chain