Have you ever wondered how the KC Streetcar is powered?
A TPSS vault being installed between 31st Street and 31st Terrace
Traction Power Substations, or TPSS, are vital to providing electricity to and ultimately powering the KC Streetcar. For the Main Street Extension project, five new TPSS sites will be constructed along the corridor. Each TPSS is connected to various underground vaults that allow the electricity to flow from place to place. Up to eight vaults will be installed underground for each TPSS site.
To the right is one of the TPSS vaults installed on the west side of Main Street between 31st Terrace and 31st Street. Electrical equipment will go inside the vault, connecting the streetcar system to power.
Below is an example of a TPSS site on the KC Streetcar downtown starter line. This TPSS site utilizes a traditional fence as an enclosure, but each site throughout the KC Streetcar system is different. The design professionals for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension worked closely with stakeholders to determine what each TPSS site should look like.
A KC Streetcar starter line TPSS site located on Truman Road
Each TPSS is connected to the electrical grid through the local utility company, Evergy, and utilizes overhead connectors – poles and cables – to transfer the power to each streetcar. The overhead connection is called the Overhead Catenary System, or OCS. The OCS poles not only distribute the power supplies from the TPSS to the streetcar vehicles, but they also act as a physical support system. A total of 353 OCS poles will be installed for the Main Street Extension project, 344 of these being on Main Street and the remaining being at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF).
A KC Streetcar starter line OCS pole
Some OCS poles may be combined with existing city poles, though many will be installed separately and specifically for the KC Streetcar Main Street Extension. The photo below shows the OCS poles and cable system on the downtown starter line.
Before OCS poles can be installed, the OCS foundations must be drilled out, checked for utility conflicts to make sure the location is clear, and filled with concrete. The foundations can be drilled anywhere from 8 ½ feet deep to 24 feet deep!
You may notice some orange barricades on Main Street. These are locations where crews are working on OCS foundations.
After the OCS foundations are complete along the project corridor, pole installation will begin.
Power supply is essential to making the KC Streetcar move and will be made possible on the Main Street Extension by the five Track Power Substations and the 344 Overhead Catenary System poles.