KC Streetcar ridership doubles after Main Street extension

KC Streetcar ridership doubles after the Oct. 24 opening of the KC Streetcar Main Street extension, as Progressive Railroading reported.

November then became the system’s strongest month on record. The free light-rail service through downtown Kansas City logged 341,922 passenger trips, and officials said that total was about two-and-a-half times the ridership recorded in November 2024, according to a KC Streetcar Authority update.

KC Streetcar ridership after expansion

The Main Street extension added 3.5 miles of track and 16 stops, pushing the route beyond the previous terminus at Union Station to the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

Since the extension entered service, average daily weekday ridership moved from 4,000 passenger trips to 10,000 passenger trips. Weekend ridership also doubled, rising from roughly 7,000 passenger trips per day to 14,000.

Service levels on the expanded system

To keep up with demand, KC Streetcar has increased the number of streetcars operating daily to seven or eight. During peak travel periods, officials said up to nine streetcars may be running across the system, as Railway Age noted.

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