[10] The initial line is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) long, and construction began in 2022 for extensions north to the riverfront and south to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

[15] After earlier efforts to create a metrowide or citywide rail transit system failed at the ballot box, voters in downtown Kansas City approved funding for a two-mile streetcar line in December 2012.

[16] In December 2012, the city council awarded a contract to HDR, Inc. to complete a final design for the downtown streetcar line.

In October 2013, it was announced that Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) would build low-floor Urbos 3 streetcars for the line.

Construction bonds and operating costs were repaid by a special assessment and 1% sales tax collected inside a transportation development district (TDD) approved by voters in 2012.

[22] The project received another $20 million federal grant, through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, in August 2013.

[27] The weekend celebration for the streetcar's opening included music, a free carnival, fireworks, and coordinated specials at businesses.

Ridership is calculated by the use of automatic, anonymous passenger counters at each streetcar door – with manual checks to ensure accuracy.

[32] Per mile, the streetcar has higher ridership than other major transit lines such as the Muni Metro in San Francisco, California or METRORail in Houston, Texas.

[14] In 2023, KC Streetcar had 2,281 average daily boardings per mile, compared to 1,924 for Muni Metro in San Francisco and 1,705 for METRORail in Houston.

[10] In October 2013, the mayor announced that the system will use 100% low-floor Urbos 3 streetcars made by the American subsidiary of Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) in Elmira Heights, New York.

[47][48] As part of the expansion of the line south, 8 additional streetcars were ordered from CAF, doubling the size of the fleet to 14.

[54] An 3.48 miles (5.60 km) extension south to University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) along Main Street is currently under construction,[55] with completion due by early 2025.

[11] In August 2017, voters approved the formation of a transportation development district (TDD) to help fund an extension south towards UMKC.

[55] In July 2023, Mayor of Kansas City Quinton Lucas called for transit-only lanes on Main Street as part of the work.

[11][69] In September 2021, the KC Streetcar Authority began studying the potential for a northern extension of the line over the Missouri River to North Kansas City.

[82] Analysis by HDR, Inc. stated that the downtown area along the route received $1.8 billion of development between 2013 and 2018, with a quarter of the investment publicly credited to the creation of the streetcar.

[83] The streetcar has also been praised by political leaders and venue operators for making Kansas City more attractive for events, such as the 2021 Big 12 men's basketball tournament and the 2023 NFL draft.

[84] In 2021, local businesses stated the extension of the line south to UMKC has also spurred development in the area, with $413 million of private investment.