OFFICIAL - Main Street Streetcar Extension

[langosta]

But unprotected, which means it will be obeyed as good as the green bicycle lanes at intersections.

NYC has photo ticketing cameras installed on busses. If you have a bus come up behind you in a bus lane, click and they’ve got you. Do people blocking the KC streetcar route even get ticketed? Not from what I’ve seen. Need to actually penalize bad behavior + automate it with the built in cameras

[DaveKCMO]

But unprotected, which means it will be obeyed as good as the green bicycle lanes at intersections.

NYC has photo ticketing cameras installed on busses. If you have a bus come up behind you in a bus lane, click and they’ve got you. Do people blocking the KC streetcar route even get ticketed? Not from what I’ve seen. Need to actually penalize bad behavior + automate it with the built in cameras

Tickets have been issued and cars towed. No idea how it compares to the total number of blockages. I'd support an automated ticketing system for the streetcar, but it would likely raise the ire of the state legislature. It's a constant struggle to decide what's worth fighting for when the state can just undo it (or worse, full scale retribution).

[langosta]

https://kansascity.legistar.com/Legisla ... FullText=1

Sound like KCMO will issue bonds for a few projrcts including Midland Theatre parking and new fire trucks. If i read this right, will use the streetcar TDD as the source of funding?

[Anthony_Hugo98]

https://kansascity.legistar.com/Legisla ... FullText=1

Sound like KCMO will use streetcar TDD tax to pay for $50 million in new fire tucks

That sounds illegal

[langosta]

https://kansascity.legistar.com/Legisla ... FullText=1

Sound like KCMO will issue bonds for a few projrcts including Midland Theatre parking and new fire trucks. If i read this right, will use the streetcar TDD as the source of funding?

I did read it wrong! Its a 3 series issuance with streetcar, fire trucks, and midland theatre. I wonder what the Midland project is?

[bspecht]

I wonder what the Midland project is?

Bond is to pay Cordish for parking for the Midland Lofts apartments that are being renovated.

[DaveKCMO]

The northbound Union Station stop will be activated this fall as part of the rail tie-in to the Main Street Extension. There will be a system outage during this period, covered by a three-vehicle bus bridge (most 'emergency' bus bridges are two vehicles). This new stop will include the new cellular-based real-time arrival signs that will be more reliable than the current radio-based ones. All streetcars will move south through the Pershing & Main intersection into the protected ROW and change direction via a new switch in the middle of the intersection. During the transition, all directions will experience red lights.

807 should be in "revenue service" in May, so you'll get a first-hand look at the new tech onboard. 808's arrival date is TBD.

[beautyfromashes]

The northbound Union Station stop will be activated this fall as part of the rail tie-in to the Main Street Extension. There will be a system outage during this period, covered by a three-vehicle bus bridge (most 'emergency' bus bridges are two vehicles). This new stop will include the new cellular-based real-time arrival signs that will be more reliable than the current radio-based ones. All streetcars will move south through the Pershing & Main intersection into the protected ROW and change direction via a new switch in the middle of the intersection. During the transition, all directions will experience red lights.

807 should be in "revenue service" in May, so you'll get a first-hand look at the new tech onboard. 808's arrival date is TBD.

Have been watching them put the beginning of the intersection crossover in and wondered about this. Why is an in-intersection crossover better than the current system north of Pershing? I assume the crossover will just be used for emergencies or will part of the line have more cars running due to demand? Will every car do the entire loop?

[langosta]

The northbound Union Station stop will be activated this fall as part of the rail tie-in to the Main Street Extension. There will be a system outage during this period, covered by a three-vehicle bus bridge (most 'emergency' bus bridges are two vehicles). This new stop will include the new cellular-based real-time arrival signs that will be more reliable than the current radio-based ones. All streetcars will move south through the Pershing & Main intersection into the protected ROW and change direction via a new switch in the middle of the intersection. During the transition, all directions will experience red lights.

807 should be in "revenue service" in May, so you'll get a first-hand look at the new tech onboard. 808's arrival date is TBD.

Have been watching them put the beginning of the intersection crossover in and wondered about this. Why is an in-intersection crossover better than the current system north of Pershing? I assume the crossover will just be used for emergencies or will part of the line have more cars running due to demand? Will every car do the entire loop?

Some project docs mention opportunity for downtown circulators. Also the current switch is not the best equipment operationally

[Cratedigger]

Main st Streetcar extension 70% complete. Track construction 75% complete

[langosta]

Main st Streetcar extension 70% complete. Track construction 75% complete

Streetcars arriving approx. every 4 weeks
- Route testing to commence a few weeks after arrival
- 814 to arrive mid-summer
- Retrofits of existing streetcars to commence after the arrival of 814


The Upgrades are


■Passenger Information System
modernization
■ Exterior lighting
■ Door push buttons
■ Train-to-Wayside Communication
■ Advanced Driver Assistance System
(ADAS)
■ Dampers on flip-up seats
■ Compressor upgrades
■ Truck (bogie) upgrades

[beautyfromashes]

Here is all of the track that I’ve seen needs to be laid to completion:
Pershing intersection northbound
Linwood intersection southbound
39th St intersection southbound
45th to Cleaver southbound
Just north of south terminus to Ward Pkwy -both directions

[moderne]

Is 31st the only major intersection where both sides of track are complete? It is nice knowing at least one intersection will not be open one day, closed the next.

[beautyfromashes]

Is 31st the only major intersection where both sides of track are complete? It is nice knowing at least one intersection will not be open one day, closed the next.

Armour is complete in both directions.

[GRID]

After looking at the plans in detail for the Main St Extension and the additional areas where the trams should be in dedicated right of way more often, I think they have done a pretty good job with this extension despite it not being center running.

I still think they may have to ultimately figure out a way to either run coupled trains or double the frequency if downtown starts getting things like a downtown ballpark. That and figure out a way to keep cars out of the way in the sections of the line from crossroads through the river market.

The southern end of the line is pretty much LRT south of 47th. Not that an extension has to be LRT, but it would be a waste to not extend it further south after building it out like that on that end.

[bspecht]

Agree. The significance of the road dieting is underestimated and will create an entirely new experience of the ROW for most of corridor.

[langosta]

After looking at the plans in detail for the Main St Extension and the additional areas where the trams should be in dedicated right of way more often, I think they have done a pretty good job with this extension despite it not being center running.

I still think they may have to ultimately figure out a way to either run coupled trains or double the frequency if downtown starts getting things like a downtown ballpark. That and figure out a way to keep cars out of the way in the sections of the line from crossroads through the river market.

The southern end of the line is pretty much LRT south of 47th. Not that an extension has to be LRT, but it would be a waste to not extend it further south after building it out like that on that end.

Agree. Take this to Waldo as LRT. Would benefit KCMO more than an NKC line would.

[beautyfromashes]

Starting to see the amount of space they are leaving for streetside parking along the route, I don't see how cars are going to fit in those spaces and not impede the train....and I'm all for it. Sly way to cut the parking without saying you're going to cut the parking?

[KCPowercat]

Starting to see the amount of space they are leaving for streetside parking along the route, I don't see how cars are going to fit in those spaces and not impede the train....and I'm all for it. Sly way to cut the parking without saying you're going to cut the parking?

and they had to be aware of their widths as we ran into this problem in many areas of the downtown stretch and had to make changes later as people just couldn't fit their cars in consistently

[GRID]

Starting to see the amount of space they are leaving for streetside parking along the route, I don't see how cars are going to fit in those spaces and not impede the train....and I'm all for it. Sly way to cut the parking without saying you're going to cut the parking?

and they had to be aware of their widths as we ran into this problem in many areas of the downtown stretch and had to make changes later as people just couldn't fit their cars in consistently

What changes did they make downtown? Did they just stripe the parking away?