RapidTO: Bathurst Street

Bathurst Street is a vital north-south transit corridor that serves tens of thousands of daily TTC riders. North of Bathurst Station, the 7 Bathurst bus carries over 20,000 weekday riders, while south of Bathurst Station, the 511 Bathurst streetcar serves over 15,000 weekday riders.

However, service on both routes is significantly slowed due to congestion:

• Streetcar speeds average just 8 km/h
• Bus speeds average 13 km/h

Transit vehicles are often forced to merge around parked cars, wait through multiple red lights, and are regularly delayed by turning traffic.

The TTC’s 5-Year Service and Customer Experience Action Plan has an action item to enhance the streetcar network with 6-minute headways on all routes. Combined with the transit improvements proposed through the RapidTO: Bathurst Street study, the 511 Bathurst streetcar will better serve its riders with improved frequency, reliability, and overall efficiency. 

To improve transit speed and reliability, the City of Toronto and TTC are proposing priority transit lanes on Bathurst Street between Eglinton Avenue West and Lake Shore Boulevard West. This corridor is a key connector between neighbourhoods, employment zones, commercial centres, hospitals, and post-secondary institutions. It has also been identified as critical infrastructure for FIFA World Cup 2026.

What's Happening Now

In July 2025, Toronto City Council directed staff to:

• Continue consultation and further study of the RapidTO proposal along Bathurst Street
• Report back in 2026 with recommendations following public feedback and refined design work

This decision reflects Council’s commitment to advancing equitable and effective transit solutions while continuing to engage local communities in the planning process.

In parallel, the TTC’s 5-Year Service and Customer Experience Action Plan aims to enhance streetcar service by introducing 6-minute headways on routes like the 511 Bathurst. If approved, priority transit lanes would complement this service upgrade by enabling faster and more reliable travel for riders.

Learn more and sign up for updates: www.toronto.ca/RapidTOBathurst