Construction is due to be completed by mid-2015 on the Kansas City Downtown Streetcar and commercial operations are expected to begin by the end of the year. The line will have 16 stops and the LRV fleet will be maintained at a depot near the River Market terminus.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony the city council immediately voted to approve $US 8m in funding to prepare the next phase of the project, which could involve extending the line by up to 13km. Omaha-based engineering consultancy HDR will be awarded a $US 3.7m contract to plan an extension along Main Street, which will run south from Union Station to 51st Street. Burns & McDonnell Engineering will carry out a $US 4.3m study into extending the line east from the city centre.
