Kansas City Streetcar
Oct. 24 is the grand opening date for the KC Streetcar Main Street Southern Extension to the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC), according to project partners Kansas City, Mo.; KC Streetcar Authority; and Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. (See map below.)
The project is adding 3.5 miles and 15 new stops to the existing downtown streetcar route, connecting the current southern terminus at Union Station to 51st Street and Brookside Boulevard on the UMKC campus. It will bring the total streetcar system to nearly six miles from the City Market to UMKC, “providing an essential north-south transit spine through the heart of Kansas City,” according to the project partners.
The expansion also includes improved public spaces and pedestrian access, as well as the addition of eight new streetcars from CAF USA, bringing the fleet total to 14. It will also connect with regional transit, including through the New Plaza Transit Center. More than 36,785 feet of rail, 40,000 feet of electrical wire, and 353 Overhead Catenary System poles were installed for this extension.
Project planning began in April 2017, and the official groundbreaking took place April 6, 2022. With a total cost of $352 million, the extension is fully funded through a combination of $200 million in federal grant funds provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and $152 million in local funds provided by the Main Street Rail Transportation Development District.
Kansas City serves as project manager of the Main Street Extension design and construction and is the FTA grant recipient. Construction was led by KC Streetcar Constructors, a joint venture of Herzog Contracting Corp. and Stacy and Witbeck and supported by Burns & McDonnell and JE Dunn Construction. The project is overseen by the joint partnership of Kansas City, KC Streetcar Authority and Kansas City Area Transportation Authority.
According to the project partners, testing has been conducted over the past few months on vehicles, tracks, substations, signals, and systems along the extension. Key components of the testing included platform interface, validation of the train control system, train-to-wayside communication (TWC) interface, track switch operations, ride quality assessments, speed tests, and more. The project is currently in the Pre-Revenue, or Pre-Passenger, Operations phase, during which streetcar operators, supervisors, and relevant staff undergo training and familiarization with the new route to prepare for passenger service.
“The KC Streetcar Main Street Extension is a game changer—together we are delivering the largest transit project in our region’s history and the realization of a long-term vision for a more connected and vibrant Kansas City,” said Michael Collins, Chair of the KC Streetcar Authority Board of Directors.
LACMTA
LACMTA on July 23 reported that Section 1 of the D Line Subway Extension Project, the first and longest portion of LACMTA’s plan to extend the D Line to Westwood, is 98% complete. The testing phase is now under way, with service expected to begin this fall.
Built by a joint venture of Skanska, Traylor Brothers, and Shea Construction (STS), Section 1 extends the D Line from its existing terminus at Wilshire/Western station nearly four miles west, adding three new stations at Wilshire/La Brea, Wilshire/Fairfax, and Wilshire/La Cienega (see map below).
Sections 2 and 3, which will bring the D Line to Century City and then Westwood, are anticipated to open in 2027 and 2028, respectively, according to LACMTA.
“The D Line Subway Extension has been a long time coming,” LACMTA reported. “It’s been almost 17 years since LA County voters approved Measure R, a half-cent sales tax that provided the project its first serious chunk of funding. It’s been over 20 years since former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa famously pledged to build a ‘subway to the sea’ in his mayoral campaign, which evolved into the heavy rail line being built today. And it’s been much, much longer since the idea of building rail along Wilshire was first floated to Angelenos, sparking plenty of controversy that you can read about here.”
The D Line’s Section 1 is unlike all other LACMTA projects, according to the transit agency: “Traveling beneath one of the region’s busiest streets, it connects the cities of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, a handful of neighborhoods, and dozens of destinations (think the Miracle Mile, Century City, and UCLA, to name a few). It’s the longest tunneling project through tar-infested sands in our nation’s history. It has gone through so many changes and evolutions (and accompanying name changes)—from the Red Line Extension to the ‘Subway to the Sea’ to the Purple Line to the D Line.”
MBTA
MBTA on July 23 celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and joined advocates, members of the community, and legislators at the ADA 35 Rally and March led by the City of Boston and the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL).
When the ADA was passed in 1990, only 22% of MBTA stations were accessible. Today, nearly 85% of stations are accessible, the transit authority said, and by 2030, nearly 95% of stations will be accessible.
This year alone, 10 stations—four on the Green Line D branch as well as Wellesley Square, West Medford, Franklin, Walpole, North Wilmington, and Winchester Center—have benefited from accessibility upgrades, with an 11th—Natick Center—slated for completion in August, and 30 more to come over the next five years.
Across the system, more than 400 bus stops have also been completely rebuilt over the past five years to improve accessibility, with 40 more stops planned to be upgraded this year, according to MBTA. The MBTA bus fleet is 100% accessible, the new Red and Orange Line rapid transit cars are as well, and the upcoming Type 10 Green Line “supercar” includes a 100% low-floor design with a modern public information system.
MBTA’s dedication to accessible transit also includes projects like advancing hands-free fare gates; making it easier for riders who are blind or low-vision to navigate the system with wayfinding technology; and scaling up, updating, and refreshing accessibility training for the front-line workforce, according to the transit authority.
For customers who are not able to use the fixed route system some or all of the time due to their disability, the RIDE remains a critical service, MBTA said.
Engagement with riders is important, too, according to MBTA, which noted that its System-Wide Accessibility Department and the Mobility Center joined 50 outreach events this year. MBTA also collaborates with its Riders’ Transportation Access Group.
“Accessibility is essential to quality of life and the ability to enjoy all that life has to offer,” MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng, who in 2025 was named an Influential Leader by Railway Age readers. “This ADA 35 event is a reminder that there is more to do. With a focus on accessibility as we rebuild our infrastructure, the MBTA is committed to doing our part to make sure all who want or need to use public transportation can do so. I’d like to thank Laura Brelsford, Assistant GM for Systemwide Accessibility, for her leadership, our entire workforce, and our partnership with advocates and stakeholders that helps drive this progress to date and the work that lies ahead in making our system fully accessible across all modes.”
