KC Light Rail

During a special working session of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee yesterday, city council members discussed the options on how to revise the approved plan for light rail in Kansas City. There was little advance public notice of the working session, other than a brief mention at the end of the committee's normal meeting the previous day. The city's communications office has yet to confirm if the session will be rebroadcast on Channel 2 or on the city's website. UPDATE: The video can be viewed here.

The committee has pledged to invite Clay Chastain, author of the voter-approved ballot measure, to speak at future sessions, an important move as Chastain has proven that he is unlikely to either go away or calm his rhetoric.

Expect a question — or two? — on the November 2008 ballot, a priority for Ed Ford, committee chairman representing the 2nd District (one of the three critical districts impacted by any initial light rail spine, the others being the 1st and 4th). That date would coincide with the already-hot presidential election and subsequent high turnout. Once again, the city will be crashing the schedule to meet the expiration date of the existing 3/8-cent transit tax that's in play; it expires on April 1, 2009. Thankfully, 2nd District newbie Russ Johnson asked for the ATA to come up with a back-up plan if a revised vote fails. We're quite confident that this entire process might have completed without someone ever asking that very simple question.

On a side note, William Erdman, Kansas City Southern's VP of Corporate Affairs, pledged to work with the city on using KCS's existing freight tracks (east to Oak Grove and south to Belton) to support commuter rail lines to feed into the light rail system, thus boosting ridership from the suburbs. This offer makes it very apparent that whatever route is chosen must make a north-south connection with Union Station, where the KCS tracks pass as part of the Kansas City Terminal Railway. The approved route passes through the Carriage Pavilion on the west side of Union Station — passing above the terminal tracks — before reconnecting with Broadway. As an alternative, a Main Street route could pass under The Link and offer sheltered connections to Union Station from both sides of the street.

One other item to note: 1st District Councilmember and Mayor Pro-Tem Bill Skaggs made it patently clear in Wednesday's regular committee meeting that the first phase of light rail must cross the river. Skaggs represents the eastern portion of the Northland, including North Oak Trafficway and a majority of the shared borders with the Gladstone and North Kansas City.