OFFICIAL - Main Street Streetcar Extension

[DaveKCMO]

Impressed by the south end of the Streetcar line. That stretch from about 44th to UMKC was very well thought out and will be really nice.

I'm a bit confused by the part from Pershing to 27th. That multipurpose lane is very wide. I guess I need to see it with pavement markings. I hope it's marked with bike and walking or something because the sidewalks on both sides of main are full of poles.

It seems like those sidewalks could have been done differently since they had a chance to redo all that and get the poles out of the sidewalks.

This is the most "light rail" section. Too bad no one wanted center-running. You'd be even more impressed north of 44th!

[GRID]

Impressed by the south end of the Streetcar line. That stretch from about 44th to UMKC was very well thought out and will be really nice.

I'm a bit confused by the part from Pershing to 27th. That multipurpose lane is very wide. I guess I need to see it with pavement markings. I hope it's marked with bike and walking or something because the sidewalks on both sides of main are full of poles.

It seems like those sidewalks could have been done differently since they had a chance to redo all that and get the poles out of the sidewalks.

This is the most "light rail" section. Too bad no one wanted center-running. You'd be even more impressed north of 44th!

Yeah, was not impressed with that part lol. Especially all the parking spaces the trams go around. Center running the entire way would have been amazing, but that ship has sailed. I'm just glad they did that south end like that. It's basically light rail ready, even the platforms are longer.

[langosta]

Impressed by the south end of the Streetcar line. That stretch from about 44th to UMKC was very well thought out and will be really nice.

I'm a bit confused by the part from Pershing to 27th. That multipurpose lane is very wide. I guess I need to see it with pavement markings. I hope it's marked with bike and walking or something because the sidewalks on both sides of main are full of poles.

It seems like those sidewalks could have been done differently since they had a chance to redo all that and get the poles out of the sidewalks.

This is the most "light rail" section. Too bad no one wanted center-running. You'd be even more impressed north of 44th!

Yeah, was not impressed with that part lol. Especially all the parking spaces the trams go around. Center running the entire way would have been amazing, but that ship has sailed. I'm just glad they did that south end like that. It's basically light rail ready, even the platforms are longer.

Lightrail ready to run down to Waldo!

[beautyfromashes]

Lightrail ready to run down to Waldo!

The suburbs don't get the streetcar.

[moderne]

Waldonians would have hurt feelings being called suburbs.

[langosta]

Lightrail ready to run down to Waldo!

The suburbs don't get the streetcar.

Streetcar suburbs should get the streetcar.

[beautyfromashes]

Lightrail ready to run down to Waldo!

The suburbs don't get the streetcar.

Streetcar suburbs should get the streetcar.

In all seriousness, I know so many people who live in Waldo who say, "I can't wait until the streetcar is extended to Waldo!" These people need to sell their houses to born-suburbanites who want to dip their toes in the city without the "oh, that area's too scary!" and move to Midtown. If you're on this board and care about urbanity, make the jump! We need more people in the core.

[langosta]

The suburbs don't get the streetcar.

Streetcar suburbs should get the streetcar.

In all seriousness, I know so many people who live in Waldo who say, "I can't wait until the streetcar is extended to Waldo!"

This is my experience as well. Most I know lived in downtown, wanted more space one they started families, and movedto Brookside/Waldo.

Brookside/Waldo, Independence BLVD, Linwood BLVD are all commercial and residential corridors that should have rapid rail access to the Plaza-Westport-Downtown commercial core.

[beautyfromashes]

This is my experience as well. Most I know lived in downtown, wanted more space one they started families, and movedto Brookside/Waldo.

Brookside/Waldo, Independence BLVD, Linwood BLVD are all commercial and residential corridors that should have rapid rail access to the Plaza-Westport-Downtown commercial core.

This is why Waldo can't have streetcar right now. This "space" kills density and makes streetcar financially untenable. There are plenty of neighborhoods in the core that are very affordable, especially east of Troost, that allow for larger families. It's time to build up the core first.

[langosta]

This is my experience as well. Most I know lived in downtown, wanted more spaceone they started families, and movedto Brookside/Waldo.

Brookside/Waldo, Independence BLVD, Linwood BLVD are all commercial and residential corridors that should have rapid rail access to the Plaza-Westport-Downtown commercial core.

This is why Waldo can't have streetcar right now. This "space" kills density and makes streetcar financially untenable. There are plenty of neighborhoods in the core that are very affordable, especially east of Troost, that allow for larger families. It's time to build up the core first.

IMHO all three should be targets of future expansion and potentially in a single election package if we could. Tom Gerend and others have mentioned that running streetcar with ballasted traffic is be significantly cheaper to build then street running making Waldo a cheaper and easy extension. I see no reason not to try and knock all three out.

[moderne]

Already seeing some densification happening in Waldo around 75th and Wornall. It will be easier to densify here than in closer in Brookside. I could see all that commercial corridor on Wornall from Gregory to Ward Pkwy being lined with low and mid rise multi family. Also the area south of 75th between Holmes and Wornall has a lot of land that was underdeveloped when it was outside of the city limits--tiny houses and giant lots--would be ideal for row house clusters and duplexes.

[beautyfromashes]

They are humming right along laying track. Northbound between Armour and 39th looks ready to pour any day. Here is what looks to be left:

Linwood intersection N&S
40th to 39th- N (S looks ready to pour)
41st to UMKC- N
45th to Cleaver- S

What’d I miss?

[Chris Stritzel]

They are humming right along laying track. Northbound between Armour and 39th looks ready to pour any day. Here is what looks to be left:

Linwood intersection N&S
40th to 39th- N (S looks ready to pour)
41st to UMKC- N
45th to Cleaver- S

What’d I miss?

Pershing Crossing
Northbound connection from the new stop at Pershing and Main

[beautyfromashes]

Pershing Crossing
Northbound connection from the new stop at Pershing and Main

Yes! I was thinking the north end was complete but need that crossing. It seems they are holding the cross track connections until last, perhaps because both north and south have to be completed first. I did see that the 39th St crossover is on site now.

[KCPowercat]

That connection to current northbound route seems like it will have to shut down current streetcar service for a week?

[langosta]

That connection to current northbound route seems like it will have to shut down current streetcar service for a week?

Would have been great if they could have accelerate this work during the big shut down.

[beautyfromashes]

That connection to current northbound route seems like it will have to shut down current streetcar service for a week?

Always wondered why they didn’t put a couple of “jump out” curves in the line where they could switch to running both north and south on the same line in case of issue on one side. Would require trains going towards each other to “weave” around each other at these curves but better than full shutdown.

[langosta]

That connection to current northbound route seems like it will have to shut down current streetcar service for a week?

Always wondered why they didn’t put a couple of “jump out” curves in the line where they could switch to running both north and south on the same line in case of issue on one side. Would require trains going towards each other to “weave” around each other at these curves but better than full shutdown.

the Pershing and Westport switches were designed for just this on the MSE. To allow for continued operations during a crash/incident OR to allow for special routings. One official example given was a downtown circular could be run in the future during a major event.

[beautyfromashes]

the Pershing and Westport switches were designed for just this on the MSE. To allow for continued operations during a crash/incident OR to allow for special routings. One official example given was a downtown circular could be run in the future during a major event.

Yeah, just really love this post! We have to get constant movement on cars. Having cars that just cycle downtown during events like First Fridays will speed up times and reliability. The current serial way of running to Union Station in a row then waiting for the 10 minutes for the car to fill up is terrible. Constant movement. The streetcar sets the pace, not people.

[langosta]

It’s a little more logical the waits. The streetcar runs on a set schedule and so they cars wait at US to get back on schedule/reduce bunching so that vehicles are evenly spaced. I think the shortness of the starter line partnered with the ridiculously poor curb running route just exacerbate the need to hold a vehicle for spacing purposes.

The longer the line gets and the more dedicated or at least center running the routing the less delays and timing deviations.