Trains may be late: $100 million KC streetcar project may not be ready for Big 12 tourney

F-Line in San Francisco

Kansas City is building a streetcar line that will be funded by a special sales tax and some federal funding. Fares will be free--which means that this will end up being one very expensive light rail network.

And it appears that the train will miss all of its stops next spring.

From AP:

Kansas City's new streetcar system faces potential delays that could mean the $100 million downtown system won't be ready in time for the Big 12 men's basketball tournament in March, officials said.

Mayor Sly James has said it's crucial that the new two-mile downtown streetcar system can carry passengers in time for the tournament, which starts March 9 and is expected to draw to draw thousands of visitors.

Though the track work is completed and the electrical wiring is expected to be ready by the end of September, City Manager Troy Schulte acknowledged Tuesday that there may be a significant delay in the delivery of the four streetcars themselves partly due to complications of transporting parts from Europe.

$100 million divided by four means the light rail network costs $25 million per car. KC officials claim that the two mile line--yep, just two miles--is just the beginning of a much larger network.

That's what Detroit said about its People Mover project and they are making the same claims for its own mini-streetcar line that is also facing delays.

Liberals of course love trains--because they only go where there are rails. Even if the line is just two miles long.

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