One Month Until Opening Day

For immediate release: September 24, 2025

Kansas City, in partnership with the Kansas City Streetcar Authority and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, announced details for the official Grand Opening weekend of the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension. This milestone project extends the streetcar line from downtown to 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard, connecting more neighborhoods, businesses, and destinations and serving as the spine for Kansas City's regional transit system. All community celebrations are open to the public.

The celebration will begin with an Official Grand Opening Ceremony on Friday, October 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Plaza streetcar stop. The ceremony will feature key attendees from the Federal Transportation Administration, Mayor Quinton Lucas and City Councilmembers, state and city elected officials, project team members, and key community stakeholders.

"Since 2016, the Kansas City Streetcar has served millions of trips, proving its value to Kansas City residents, visitors, and businesses. The Main Street Extension builds on that success by connecting our neighborhoods from the River Market to the Plaza and UMKC, opening up new opportunities for our neighbors and visitors throughout our community," said Mayor Lucas.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Main Street Extension will officially open for full passenger service. At that time, everyone is invited to "hop on" from any streetcar stop between the River Market and UMKC and experience Kansas City in a whole new way.

Grand Opening Schedule

• Grand Opening Ceremony

Friday, October 24, 10:00 a.m.

Location: Plaza Streetcar Stop

• Community Celebration - Day 1

Friday, October 24, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Location: UMKC Streetcar Stop

• Community Celebration - Day 2

Saturday, October 25, 12:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Murray Davis Park at 40th & Main Street

Entertainment Highlights

Friday, October 24 - UMKC Stop (5:00 - 9:00 p.m.)

• UMKC Conservatory Jazz Ensemble & Dave Troupe
• Brass & Boujee
• Summerbreeze
• Live painting by DINKC
• Jason Divad, fire eater
• Silent Disco
• And More!

Saturday, October 25 - Midtown Celebration (12:00 - 5:00 p.m.)

The fun doesn't stop on Friday evening. On Saturday, October 25, all are invited to Murray Davis Park for a community celebration filled with the tastes and sounds of Midtown Kansas City. Entertainment includes:

• Pythons Drill Team
• Stone Lion Puppets
• The Royal Chief and the CRWN Jwls
• And more!

"The southern extension of the streetcar system is about more than new tracks on Main Street-it's a generational investment in our community. It's about connecting our neighborhoods, businesses, educational instatutions, and cultural spaces in a way that moves Kansas City forward," said Tom Gerend, Executive Director, KC Streetcar Authority.

Made Possible by Community Support The two-day festivities are possible because of the generous support of community partners and sponsors, including:

HDR, HNTB, Herzog Transit, Inc., Burns & McDonnell, KC Streetcar Constructors, Economic Development Corporation, CAF, RS Electric, the Country Club Plaza, Benesch, Thomas McGee, Mass Electric, JE Dunn, Mac Properties, Community Street Coalition, Johnathan Kemper, Union Station, Olsson, Midtown KC Now, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

All events are free and open to the public, with activities designed to highlight the creativity, flavor, and energy of Kansas City. More details about the community celebrations, including schedules, activities, and streetcar rider information, will be posted on the Grand Opening webpage.

Celebrating Art & Design

The KC Streetcar Authority also partnered with the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) Micro Agency class to develop the official Main Street Extension Grand Opening poster. Working with the spring 2025 class, nine students created individual original poster designs as part of a competitive process. One design, created by Sam Morgan, a KCAI student, was selected as the commemorative artwork to mark this historic moment for Kansas City.

This partnership was part of KCAI's Sponsored Studio program, which fosters collaborations with area businesses to explore creative design challenges, research, and real-world solutions. The KC Streetcar Authority is proud to showcase this collaboration as part of the Grand Opening celebrations and the design will be made available at the community celebrations and the KCAI bookstore.

Years In The Making

Planning for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension began in April 2017, and the project officially broke ground on April 6, 2022. The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is a 3.5-mile extension of the KC Streetcar System that will connect the current southern terminus at Union Station to the University of Missouri - Kansas City at 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard.

"The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension represents what we can accomplish when the City, our partners, and our community work together. This project connects people to jobs, schools, and neighborhoods, and it's the result of years of dedication from teams across Kansas City. This is a generational, strategic investment that will make a difference for years into the future," said City Manager Mario Vazquez.

Construction was led by the KC Streetcar Constructors, a joint venture between Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck and supported by Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction. The project is overseen by the joint partnership of the City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO), the KC Streetcar Authority (KCSA) and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). The City of Kansas City, Missouri serves as project manager of the Main Street Extension design and construction and is the grant recipient of the federal Capital Investment Grant helping to fund this project. The extension is fully funded with a combination of these federal funds and new local funding approved through the voter approved Transportation Development District: $200m in federal grant funds provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and $152m in local funds provided by the Main Street Rail Transportation Development District (TDD).

Stay informed about the Grand Opening details by visiting https://http://kcstreetcar.org/grand-opening or follow Kansas City and the KC Streetcar on all social media accounts.

Office of Mayor Quinton Lucas, Megan Strickland, 816.766.5134 | [email protected]

KC Streetcar Authority, Donna Mandelbaum, 816.627.2527 or 816.877.3219 | [email protected]

City Communications/Public Works, Ryan McMonigle, 816.729.0833 |[email protected]