KANSAS CITY, Mo. (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 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.
Each vehicle has to be tested for 300 miles along the route, and Schulte said consultants had advised that a late September delivery would be enough time to complete testing for a March 1 public start. The four vehicles, which together cost about $18 million, were initially constructed in Spain, but the final assembly is being done in Elmira, New York.
Public Works deputy director Ralph Davis learned in July from the vehicle manufacturer, CAF USA Inc., that the vehicles might not be finished until year-end. Davis said he flew to New York for intense negotiations with the company on how to meet the city's required delivery schedule.
CAF officials did not respond to the newspaper's requests for comment about the problem and the ongoing negotiations.
Davis said the discussions were productive, and he hopes something can be worked out to accommodate Kansas City's plans to open the system before the start of the tournament. But Davis said he won't know until September when CAF believes it can start vehicle delivery.
He said safety is a priority.
"I would like nothing else but to have a party with the Big 12 and have everybody riding my cars brand new," he said. "But at the same time I would never want to have something (bad) happen."