KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When you’re outside and the temperature is below freezing, seconds can seem like minutes, minutes like hours.
At least it felt that way for Mike Joslyn.
He’s one of the passengers that depend on the KC Streetcar during the morning commute.
“Pretty much every day. I get downtown a little early before work, so I kind of just ride around on the streetcar and stay warm before work,” Joslyn said.
Only problem is on this day there’s no streetcar. Service was suspended because of the ice buildup on the overhead wires.
Icy weather forcing @kcstreetcar to suspend service...even towing a car. It’s stuck. Definitely don’t see this everyday pic.twitter.com/82KuxEiK3J
— Kevin Holmes (@kholmesKSHB) January 11, 2018
A spokeswoman with KC Streetcar said crews treated the overhead wires and pantographs with deicer, but the precipitation and subsequent drop in temperatures happened so fast, suspending service was the best choice.
41 Action News crews were there as a tow crew hauled one of the streetcars back to the barn from 3rd and Delaware, near River Market in Kansas City.
Joslyn and others waiting for the streetcar eventually made it to their destinations, just not by way of the streetcar.
“It’s cold out here and it’s slick,” he said. “It’s hard to walk around on the concrete, so I can imagine how it is on the metal.”
Two Ride KC buses helped transport passengers waiting on the streetcar platforms. Transit leaders will closely monitor the weather conditions and decide when streetcar service will be restored.
