The City of Toronto and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) are preparing to install 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 (item 2025.EX25.4) and will improve the speed and reliability of transit service to help meet the City’s evolving transportation needs.
The City and TTC are listening. Interim improvements under review include:
On November 5, 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, 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.
On November 16, 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, City Council approved the implementation of measures aimed at improving the speed and reliability of the 7 Bathurst. The measures will be installed by the end of 2025, ahead of the original spring 2026 timeline.
On October 16, 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. 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.
A previous error in the installation notice regarding turn restrictions at Queen Street West has been corrected. As well, the temporary loading zone in front of 1 Kitchen has been permanently moved to Wellington Street West. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
During installation, the City and TTC’s contractors will complete the following work:
The lanes will only be considered operational once all elements are in place, including red paint, lane lines, diamond and arrow symbols and regulatory signage. Road segments become enforceable, and tickets may be issued, after the full package is installed.
See the Detailed Design Roll Plan for a complete view of the new lane configuration, pavement markings and signage to be installed.
Pavement marking changes will take place overnight from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. with efforts made to complete the noisiest work before 11 p.m. Daytime work (e.g. signage changes) will take place during the off-peak hours to limit traffic disruptions.
No parking or standing will be allowed in the installation area starting November 5 at 8 p.m. Vehicle owners parked on Bathurst Street will receive 48-hour advance notice from the contractor before work begins.
To help keep the area clear, contractors will place barrels where possible, and Parking Enforcement will install signage to remind people driving not to park. Green P machines and related signage will also be removed or covered.
Vehicles parked in the work zone will be relocated at no cost to the owner. They will be moved to the nearest legal side street parking spot, as determined by Toronto Police Services (TPS). If your vehicle is relocated, you can call TPS at 416-808-2222 to find out where it was moved.
TTC vehicles will continue to operate, and access to Bathurst Station will be maintained during regular station hours.
To accommodate overnight red paint installation in the streetcar lanes, 511 Bathurst streetcars will be replaced by buses between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Overnight 307 Bathurst bus service will continue to operate and regular streetcar service will resume each morning at 5:30 a.m.
Locations of some loading zones are currently under review and may be subject to change. Learn more about priority streetcar lanes how to use them.
From Bathurst Station (north of Bloor Street West) to Nassau Street, approved changes include:
From Nassau Street to Dundas Street West, approved changes include:
From Dundas Street West to Lake Shore Boulevard West, the following design has been installed:
In response to public feedback and as approved by City Council (2025.EX25.4), further consideration of the section between Eglinton Avenue West and Bathurst Station is proposed to be undertaken at a future time, rather than immediate implementation before FWC26.
As part of approved changes to improve the speed and reliability of the 7 Bathurst (2025.TE25.41), being installed between Eglinton Avenue West and Bathurst Station include:
As with any major change, there is an adjustment period where people adjust their travel habits. Traffic signal timing will be adjusted as needed following full installation.
The City and TTC will monitor traffic conditions for two years after full installation, including intersection performance and traffic volumes on nearby streets. A public dashboard with this data, similar to the one for RapidTO: Eglinton Avenue East, will be posted quarterly on this web page.
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.
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, is identified as a Priority Roadway. The southern segment, from Bloor Street West to Lake Shore Boulevard West, is 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).
While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this page. 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.
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