Kansas City International Airport Public Transit Services Action Plan

MARC is collaborating with the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) on the Kansas City International (KCI) Airport Public Transit Services Action Plan to evaluate public transit options to serve transportation demands to and from the airport. The goal of this plan is to identify the role of transit at KCI to provide flexible, scalable services for a variety of potential users and better address the needs of Greater Kansas City residents and travelers for business, recreation and large public events. 

With the opening of the new KCI terminal in 2023, the recent success of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, Kansas City is poised as a premier destination for arts, entertainment and culture. The demand is more pressing for a reliable, accessible, and multimodal public rapid transit system that serves KCI, surrounding area businesses and key destinations around the region.

The Plan

Learn about the recommendations from the study.

Read the executive summary Read the final report

Online Public Meeting

An online public meeting was held open through September 25. The link below details the outcome of this engagement process, including next steps for this action plan.  

View results from the summer 2023 public engagement efforts View materials showing current transit service to/from KCI and potential alternatives
Attendees learning about the transit options at the KCI transit open house

Transportation

KCI transit study reveals options for new express bus…

February 28, 2024

KCI airport terminal fountain

Plan goal and study area

This plan will examine improvements to existing transit services or potential new service options to better allow KCI travelers and employees to access key activity centers throughout the Kansas City region. To support regional growth, the plan will focus on creating fast and reliable transit with scalable services that meet regional transportation demands while managing additional crowds for large events and national conventions.  

The plan will include an analysis of the following major Kansas City area transit centers/destinations, including those shown on the map below. 

Map showing proposed transit corridor from downtown Kansas City to KCI airport

Project Partners

KCATA and MARC are joined by other regional leadership organizations to support the development of the plan.

Local government officials

  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Overland Park, Kansas
  • Independence, Missouri
  • Lee’s Summit, Missouri
  • Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas
  • Clay County, Missouri
  • Jackson County, Missouri
  • Johnson County, Kansas
  • Leavenworth County, Kansas
  • Platte County, Missouri

Transportation organizations

  • KC Streetcar
  • Kansas Department of Transportation
  • Missouri Department of Transportation

Sports organizations

  • KC Sports Commission including liaisons with the local World Cup planning team

Tourism organizations

  • Visit KC
  • Visit KCK
  • Wyandotte County Economic Development Council

Business and civic community

  • Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
  • Overland Park Chamber of Commerce
  • Northland Regional Chamber
  • Kansas City KS Chamber of Commerce
  • Independence Chamber of Commerce
  • Civic Council of Greater Kansas City

Project Team

Kimley-Horn is serving as the project lead for the plan. As the project team leader, they organize public and private partners and broader community interests in a six-month process to assess transit expansion opportunities.

Layer Title
Schedule
Table
Task
Public engagement — Pop-up events Week of April 24 (NFL Draft), week of July 17, week of July 31, week of Aug. 14
Public engagement — Stakeholder interviews Week of June 26
Public engagement — Public meetings Week of Aug. 21
Public engagement — Online Survey Mid-August through late September
Needs assessment Mid-May through mid-July
Alternative analysis Early July through late August
Event attendance projections Mid-July through mid-August
Wayfinding recommendations Early August through mid-September
Alternatives report Late August through mid-October
Action plan Early October through mid-November

How can you get involved?

There will be pop-up engagements at area community and public events in the summer of 2023. And there will be a public meeting and interactive surveys shared in August.

To receive plan updates and upcoming public engagement opportunities, share your contact information with us!

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