A streetcar line to Arrowhead for the World Cup — while the Royals eye downtown?

City Manager Brian Platt says there is a chance — a serious chance — Kansas City could build a streetcar extension to the Truman Sports Complex in time for the World Cup in 2026.

“There’s certainly a physical possibility,” he said last week. “We’re going to explore it. (We’re) not sure what the answer is.”

We think the answer is no.

First principles first: Fixed rail transit should be extended to the city’s East Side as quickly and efficiently as feasible. A streetcar route along Linwood, 22nd and 23rd streets, 31st Street or Independence Avenue would provide critical transportation for East Siders who want to work downtown, in Midtown, in the UMKC-Plaza area or in the City Market neighborhood.

We supported the initial streetcar project. We endorsed the extension of the streetcar along Main. We do not oppose the streetcar system.

But rushing to build six or seven miles of new track from Union Station or downtown to the Truman Sports Complex in just four years would be too costly and too disruptive.

The current Main Street extension won’t be finished until 2025 — eight years after planning started. A planned extension to the sports complex would be twice as long, built in half the time. It isn’t clear how to accomplish that without seriously risking quality and safety.

The price tag for the current extension project is roughly $351 million, not counting ongoing maintenance and operational expenses. The federal government is paying half, with taxpayers along the route coming up with the rest.

Extending the streetcar to the Truman Sports Complex could easily cost $750 million or more.

But there is no mechanism in place for a local share: In fact, in 2014, voters overwhelmingly rejected a taxing district for a streetcar expansion, including an East Side track.

Oh, and there is no known commitment from Washington, D.C., to pay any part of the construction cost.

But let’s say those problems could be addressed. Let’s say the feds agreed to pay half of an East Side extension, and that beleaguered residents could provide the other half. Let’s say costs could be kept down despite inflation and supply-chain issues. Let’s say problems with engineering and design could be addressed at hyper-speed.

Kansas City should still be highly skeptical of building a streetcar to the stadiums.

The World Cup is an extraordinary event, and Kansas City is lucky to be one of the host cities. But it’s a one-time thing. The need for rail-based mass transit to the stadium will decline once the world goes home.

It’s also unclear how a streetcar line could even make much of a dent in getting people to World Cup games. Arrowhead Stadium’s capacity is more than 74,000. Each KC Streetcar vehicle has 34 seats and can accommodate only about 150 riders at once.

City Manager Platt says FIFA will not require fixed-rail transit to the complex in 2026. Buses, and a well-thought-out transportation and parking plan, should be enough for the event.

You also wouldn’t build a streetcar extension to the complex just for Chiefs games. The football team plays fewer than a dozen games at the stadium complex in most years. Even adding concerts, college games and other events would hardly justify a $750 million streetcar expenditure.

The Chiefs get revenue from parking at the Truman Sports Complex. The team would likely resist permanent rail transit to the games as well.

The Royals? They’re talking seriously about moving downtown. Perhaps the team could wave as they pass the streetcar traveling in the opposite direction. The Chiefs are considering their location options as well.

“We wouldn’t build a streetcar to nowhere,” Platt said last week. Those are words to live by.

The East Side needs reliable mass transit. A streetcar should be part of that equation. But Kansas City must proceed carefully and deliberately with planning and building that system, and not rushing to meet an artificial deadline set by the World Cup.