The City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) have installed priority streetcar lanes along a 3.4 km stretch of Bathurst Street, from Bathurst Station (north of Bloor Street West) to Lake Shore Boulevard West.
This project was approved by City Council in July 2025 (2025.EX25.4) to improve the speed and reliability of transit service to help meet the City’s evolving transportation needs.
While the project area extended north to Eglinton Avenue West, no RapidTO transit priority measures were approved or implemented between Bathurst Station and Eglinton Avenue West. As part of a separate initiative, parking regulation changes were implemented between Bathurst Station and Eglinton Avenue West to improve the speed and reliability of the 7 Bathurst bus route (2025.TE25.41).
The City and TTC continue to monitor traffic operations along the RapidTO: Bathurst Street project area. Through review of public comments, traffic data and ongoing field observations, the RapidTO Project Team has identified repeated congestion for northbound traffic approaching Front Street West and vehicles waiting to turn right, which can create queues and delays for through traffic. The Project Team has also observed unexpected lane changes and vehicles travelling in the priority streetcar lane.
Beginning as early as October 18, 2026, weather permitting, the City will make the following changes over several nights:
View the updated roll plan for pavement marking and signage details.
These changes are intended to reduce congestion, encourage drivers to follow lane rules and make traffic movements through the intersection more predictable for all road users.
The City may deploy traffic agents to help direct traffic and support a smooth transition during the initial adjustment period at intersections, subject to operational needs and staff availability.
Work to install the priority streetcar lanes is now complete, and signal timing updates have been implemented from Lake Shore Boulevard West to Bathurst Station. Learn more about priority streetcar lanes and how to use them.
Monitoring is underway, including site observations and public feedback, which will help inform ongoing design adjustments.
Work is expected to begin in mid-April 2026 and be completed by late May 2026, weather permitting. Residents and businesses can expect new signage, pavement markings and parking changes. Work is expected to start with sign installation, followed by red road paint and pavement markings.
The City and TTC are listening. Interim improvements under review include:
On November 5, 2025, work to install the priority streetcar lanes began, starting with Lake Shore Boulevard West to Dundas Street West. Installation continuing north from Dundas Street West to Bathurst Station will follow once the initial section is complete.
On November 12, 2025, City Council approved the RapidTO: Bathurst Street updates and solutions to mitigate the impacts of changes to nearby local road travel patterns and the availability of on-street parking (2025.TE26.14).
On November 16, 2025, through a separate initiative, the TTC introduced service changes to the 511 Bathurst and 7 Bathurst. The 511 Bathurst now runs every six minutes between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays and between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends and holidays. In addition, the TTC has removed bus stops for the 7 Bathurst at Dewbourne Avenue, Ardmore Road and Heathdale Road in both directions.
On October 9, 2025, City Council approved the implementation of measures aimed at improving the speed and reliability of the 7 Bathurst bus route (2025.TE25.41). The measures will be installed by the end of 2025, ahead of the original spring 2026 timeline.
On October 16, 2025, separate from the initiatives led by Transportation Services, the Toronto Parking Authority (TPA) approved rate increases and extended paid parking hours along key surface transit routes, including Bathurst Street (2025.PA16.13). For more information, contact the TPA’s Planning & Policy team, policyandplanning@greenpmobility.com.
Work is expected to begin late October, pause in late December, resume after winter weather and be completed by May ahead of the FIFA World Cup 26™ (FWC26) games.
While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content in this section. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings or any other content, please contact us at 416-338-7797 or RapidTOBathurst@toronto.ca.
During installation, the City’s contractor will:
Pavement marking changes will take place overnight between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., weather permitting. Efforts will be made to complete the noisiest work before 11 p.m. Signage and signal work will occur primarily during off-peak daytime hours to help limit traffic disruptions.
TTC service will continue during installation. If required, 511 Bathurst streetcars will be replaced by buses between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. while red paint and pavement markings are installed. Overnight 307 Bathurst bus service will continue as normal, and regular streetcar service will resume each morning at 5:30 a.m.
Residents near the work area may notice a temporary odour while the red pavement markings are being installed. The odour may be noticeable nearby but is expected to dissipate within a few days. The materials used are standard products for roadway projects and are installed in accordance with Provincial and City specifications.
Efforts have been made to manage traffic in the area for the safety of workers, road users and residents. No significant delays are expected during installation.
Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times.
To complete the work in a safe manner, there will be partial lane closures within the work zone. One lane of traffic will be maintained at all times to accommodate transit and traffic operations. Sidewalks will remain open.
The existing No Stopping regulations will be enforced, and vehicles will not be permitted to stop within the work zone.
The City’s contractor must ensure safe and accessible walkways and entryways are maintained for everyone during installation. Any temporary access disruptions will be communicated as soon as possible. If you experience a disruption, have a specific access need or related accommodation request, please inform us at RapidTOBathurst@toronto.ca.
The following changes are now in place between Bathurst Station (north of Bloor Street West) and Nassau Street:
The following changes are now in place between Nassau Street and Dundas Street West:
The following changes are now in place between Dundas Street West and Lake Shore Boulevard West:
As with any major change, there is an adjustment period where people adjust their travel habits.
Following installation, the City and TTC will monitor traffic operations, intersection performance, nearby traffic volumes, streetcar performance, safety and driver compliance for up to two years and consider adjustments if needed. A public dashboard will be shared on the project web page as information becomes available, with the first updates expected in spring 2027.
Interested in early project results? View the FIFA World Cup 26™ Match Days results that were presented to the TTC Board in July 2026.
Public consultation on this project took place from April 22 to May 26. The public consultation report (linked below) provides a detailed summary of all activities that took place, proposed changes and feedback received.
While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content in this section. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings or any other content, please contact us at 416-338-7797 or RapidTOBathurst@toronto.ca.
The RapidTO: Bathurst Street project area spans Bathurst Street, from Eglinton Avenue West to Lake Shore Boulevard West.
The City Council-approved RapidTO: Surface Transit Network Plan (2024.EX11.8) is a comprehensive roadmap to improve our surface transit through transit priority measures. It identifies Priority Roadways for study, consultation and implementation by 2032, and Long-Term Planning Studies to be explored beyond 2032.
The northern section of Bathurst Street, from Eglinton Avenue West to Bloor Street West, was identified as a Priority Roadway. The southern segment, from Bloor Street West to Lake Shore Boulevard West, was part of the plan’s Long-Term Planning Studies. Both segments may be advanced sooner if they are aligned with emerging local priorities or can be coordinated with other City-led projects.
In July 2024, City Council directed staff to accelerate transit priority designs for Bathurst Street, from Eglinton Avenue West to Lake Shore Boulevard West, to support reliable transit during FIFA World Cup 26™ (FWC26).
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