Generic ongoing KCATA thread

[langosta]

"It proposes adding 107 miles of passenger train service within the greater Kansas City area, from Leavenworth to Lee’s Summit, mostly on existing track used by the area’s freight railroads. Where additional track would be needed, no additional right of way would have to be acquired. New track would be laid within those freight rail corridors, as well as in corridors already controlled by the KCATA and local governments, at a cost of what the application says would be $2 million to $5 million a mile.

Attribution please: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/a ... 00506.html

KCS leadership was always a major barrier to regional rail. I hope Canadian Pacific is better.

Map





https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kc ... ail-system

[langosta]

Public Comment *(sign-in required, 3-minute maximum)

John Ivy spoke to the Board of Commissioners on this day asking for KCATA to take over the airport
and build light rail from downtown to the airport. He also stated that Walt Disney rail way could be
done because we already have the right of way and stated he would also like to see a Waly Disney
Hotel in Kansas City.

Jesse Smith with North Kansas City, city council stated that he has been discussing the KCMO city
contract with KCATA staff, they have the 201, 238, Flex and paratransit routes. They are an enclave
community, and the new contract is $2.1 million which is significantly higher than it has been in years
passed. He asked KCATA Board of Commissioners to take a good look at enclave costs and how this
effects the budget of these smaller communities and those using the services. Zero Fare was solely a
KCMO decision and KCMO should bear the burden, alone.

April KCATA meeting minutes

[DaveKCMO]

KCATA will be starting a combined version of the NFL Draft shuttles for regular service in July.

https://ridekc.org/news/special-nfl-draft-shuttles

Tentatively called 18X.

[DaveKCMO]

3/8-cent sales tax renewal will go the November 2023 ballot. It must pass then to eliminate a gap in revenue.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 66066.html

[TheUrbanRoo]

What sort of projects are they alluding to that the city may divert these tax dollars to? They say streetcar possible but why?

[KCPowercat]

KCATA will be starting a combined version of the NFL Draft shuttles for regular service in July.

https://ridekc.org/news/special-nfl-draft-shuttles

Tentatively called 18X.

Will use.

[herrfrank]

The Strang Line ran further east than the BNSF mainline. Ran along the starting curves of Mission Road until the Shawnee Indian Mission and then west, roughly following (but north of) SM Pkwy til the Milburn Golf Club, then south to "downtown" Overland Park. Then southwest toward Lenexa and Olathe. I've always assumed the street Santa Fe was its basic route from OP to Olathe. There are so many different "Santa Fe" roads and legends in KC, I really have no idea where the actual, original trail was.

My Dad took the Strang Line a few times in the 1930s with his Mom to spend the weekend with their former Sunny Slope neighbors who had moved to a farm in the country near Gardner. I think he said it was a quarter-dollar, which was more than the normal streetcar.

[trexel94]

3/8-cent sales tax renewal will go the November 2023 ballot. It must pass then to eliminate a gap in revenue.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 66066.html

Light rail/commuter rail from downtown KC to KCI considered under proposed transit tax plan. Separate plan from the regional commuter rail study

https://www.kmbc.com/article/money-from ... m/43994333

[GRID]

3/8-cent sales tax renewal will go the November 2023 ballot. It must pass then to eliminate a gap in revenue.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 66066.html

Light rail/commuter rail from downtown KC to KCI considered under proposed transit tax plan. Separate plan from the regional commuter rail study

https://www.kmbc.com/article/money-from ... m/43994333

I don't see how this is even remotely possible:

Lucas said some of that money could be used to put in a train line from the airport to downtown before the World Cup Soccer crowds come to Kansas City in 2026.

But wow, I'm impressed that Lucus is even trying.

While I'm not sure Light Rail to KCI makes a lot of sense (I just don't see the ridership per mile being high enough), that might be the ONLY way to get a regional city wide and multi county vote to pass for regional transit because everybody thinks it's needed/justified. And if KC did build LRT to KCI, then LRT to other parts of the metro with higher ridership would likely follow (which would ultimately help ridership on a KCI line).

[KCPowercat]

why even say that Lucas. There is 0.0% chance that could happen in 3 years.

[GRID]

why even say that Lucas. There is 0.0% chance that could happen in 3 years.

Yeah, it's weird. If the city wanted to have something like this open for the world cup, they would have had to have much of the design work done in advance of even winning a bid and then as soon as getting selected pushed the project into financing/vote and final design.

There is zero chance the city could even get a BRT line open in three years especially since I'm sure nothing has even been studied for one.

I don't really understand why the city and entire KC region was not more ready to implement some bigger projects like this if they were to win a world cub bid. Again, another lost opportunity to get local community and state/federal support for some major infrastructure projects done in KC. I really thought KC would get more indirect projects done due due to the world cup when it honestly looks like almost nothing will change. The area around the stadiums will still look like shit, I-70 won't be rebuilt in time, no new real transit projects will even break ground etc. Even the deck over 670 may only be getting started by then.

KC should have been more ready to take advantage of this. For a city the size of KC to host a world cup. I mean this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to really get some major things done in KC.

[KCPowercat]

that idea could have been shovel ready on the shelf waiting for the winning bid and not made it in time.

[GRID]

that idea could have been shovel ready on the shelf waiting for the winning bid and not made it in time.

Yeah, but it would have been built though and the only reason was the world cup. Now the city is basically getting nothing out of hosting such a large event.

[TheUrbanRoo]

World Cup in time or not, if they’re moving this project along I’ll absolutely take it.

[TheLastGentleman]

Culturally KC is hyped for the world cup, but it seems like the powers that be have been slow on the uptake. There are at least half a dozen hotel projects that were proposed before covid that haven’t come back alive, even though the WC will probably be the highest demand for hotels in KC history. The loop cap keeps fading in and out of existence, and it just seems like generally there should just be more prep occurring from all sectors. I’m not even a soccer fan but I still know this thing is one of the biggest events the city has ever (will ever?) have landed

[KCPowercat]

As the saying goes you don't build the church for Easter.

[langosta]

This only works if they can deliver KCI at a fraction of the cost of Main Street extension.

[KCPowercat]

There is a RR track 8 miles west that goes downtown. Shrug

[shinatoo]

What kind of frequencies are we talking about. Very light usage if you have to wait more than 15 minutes after your flight.

[FangKC]

Or would they run it mostly along the former St. Joseph Interurban rail right-of-way (that sits east of the airport) along Congress down Green Hills to NW Waukomis Drive through Northmoor and RIverside to the RR tracks? This has the benefit of also building some dense TOD nodes at rail stops along the line.