Streetcars in Kansas City

For the 21st century system, see KC Streetcar.
The Kansas City streetcar map peaked at 25 routes, but the last 20th century route was closed in 1957.
Prior to 1908, streetcars on some routes were propelled by grasping underground cables.[1]

Streetcars in Kansas City were the primary public transit mode during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, like most North American cities.[2][3] Kansas City, Missouri once had one of the most extensive streetcar systems in North America, but the last of its 25 streetcar routes was shut down in 1957.[4]

Kansas City joined all but five North American metropolises – Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans – in replacing all streetcar networks with buses. Three other cities, Newark, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, operated rail lines more akin to modern light rail that remain operating.

In 2016, the modern streetcar era began with the launch of the municipal KC Streetcar.

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