The Streetcar Extension

Streetcar set to expand south to UMKC, along Riverfront area

Kansas City’s streetcar will add an eight mile extension set to start construction in 2022 and be ready to open by 2025.

Story by Rachel Robinson | Editor-in-Chief

A streetcar stopped at Union station at sunset Sept 26. The highest percentage of passengers that board the streetcar is from the Union Station stop. photo by Caroline Hinkebein

The original Kansas City Streetcar have cars — for it to be right by like UMKC trying to move through it, they drive.” line first opened May 6, 2016, and kind of by Rockhurst. I also think it However, McLane does recognize that running primarily along Main St. would just be better for the community, UMKC students would use an extension in on a two-mile track. It has been a staple of and like tourism and it would help the city the South Plaza area and thinks that is a city life ever since, shuttling residents and expand.” good end point for the new track. tourists from Union Station all the way to Hirner lives in Brookside, and she would “I feel like that would probably be a good the River Market. By 2025, the streetcar use the streetcar if it had a route near her spot to go just because, including UMKC, will have two more fully functional because of the environmental harm and I know a lot of college students that live extensions running along the Riverfront safety risks posed by driving are eliminated around the campus and I feel like they area and south on Main St. to University by public transportation systems like the might use it more than the people that of Missouri Kansas City. The Main St. streetcar. live, like, around the shops in Brookside,” extension plan was approved in May and “I think there’s just a lot to it like McLane said. “Just because I know those are the Riverfront plan just received approval environmental [benefits] obviously because more like families and they have cars, and for federal funding Sept. 11. cars are really bad for the environment and younger kids will just walk. I feel like if they The Riverfront extension will also, I feel like it’s a lot safer,” Hirner said. go farther [north] like that it might be better be relatively small, only 0.55 miles. “Cars and car accidents scare me. That’s why than if they were to just do like the main Comparatively, the Main St. extension I feel like if I had public transportation and Brookside area. will expand the streetcar’s reach by quite it was easier and more accessible to me, I’d John Martellaro is the director of strategic a bit, adding 3.6 miles to the current 2 use it a lot more because I just would feel communications at the University of mile route. Both extensions plan to start safer.” Missouri-Kansas City and he believes that construction in early 2022, at the latest, Junior Hattie McLane does not think that the streetcar extension will be beneficial to with the Riverfront extension opening Brookside is a good location for a streetcar the community in many ways. in 2024 and the Main St. extension fully extension because of how crowded the “It will provide another convenient operating in 2025. area already is with motor vehicles and means for our students, faculty and staff Senior Molly Hirner thinks that the pedestrians. to come and go to campus, and take streetcar’s Main St. extension will be a “I feel like it would just overcrowd more advantage of opportunities for living, good addition to the community and will without actually being used so it would take shopping, dining and entertainment help make the city more accessible. up space,” McLane said. “It would just add across the city,” Martellaro said. “It will also “I think like in Kansas City, we have a another mode of transportation, besides enhance the opportunities for members really bad public transportation system,” the bus that already runs through there, and of the community to come to UMKC for Hirner said. “And it’s kind of like — it’s the tons of cars and people that are already programming in areas such as performing basically impossible to live around here there. And I don’t think it would get enough arts, entrepreneurship support, athletics, without a car. I think it’d be a lot easier — use based on how small of a little area it is. cultural programs and so much more.” B especially for college students who don’t I feel like people mainly walk and if they’re

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