Phase 3: Reveal engagement is now open from Feb. 9 to Feb. 27. Explore the recommended plan and share your thoughts to help refine the preferred plan.
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The City is completing the 52 Street East Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Functional Planning Study.
The study outlines a plan to convert the Route 23 into a future 52 Street East Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route. The recommended plan includes station locations, safe walking and wheeling access and roadway changes to keep buses moving. It also explores extending MAX Teal to 52 Street E to improve transfers between transit routes and key destinations.
The 52 St E BRT was identified as a priority project in Calgary Transit’s 30-year strategic plan, Route Ahead, which was council-approved on July 4, 2023. As per the plan, the Route 23 local transit service will be upgraded to BRT service as part of the Primary Transit Network. Route 23 which runs on 52 St E is currently the third busiest local route in the City of Calgary and has seen growing ridership.
Click here to view Phase 2 WWHR Report
Station locations and transfer convenience
We’ve made a few minor changes to station locations based on feedback from the Explore phase. These adjustments are to bus station locations between 68 Ave. and 94 Ave., and the residential communities south of 130 Ave. S.E. The updated station locations will make bus service faster and improve transfers to existing and future routes that people use to get to work, home and other places along the corridor.
Even though we’ve adjusted station locations for better spacing and faster service, we’ve made sure that bus stops remain close to key destinations, and walking distances are still reasonable for customers in residential and industrial areas.
Pedestrian safety and accessibility
We’ve heard concerns about pedestrian safety, especially at stations located near busy intersections. Community feedback highlighted challenges for seniors and parents with strollers when crossing 52 Street E to reach the bus. Other safety issues included a lack of snow removal at stations and difficulty accessing areas where sidewalks or pathways are damaged or missing.
As part of this study, our team reviewed access to all proposed station locations. We’ve recommended improvements to pedestrian connections, that also include better lighting for safer walks to stations and upgraded shelter facilities and lighting at each station.
Support for Saddletowne Circle bus only lane
Overall, feedback was supportive of the proposed changes at Saddletown Circle, which included creating a northbound bus-only lane on the west side of the Circle to the Saddletowne terminal.
MAX Teal Route
We considered feedback about both Option 1 (MAX Teal continues on 114 Ave to 52 St E) and Option 2 (MAX Teal connects to Shepard Centre shopping area at 130 Ave SE) for the MAX Teal extension to 52 St E. We heard that Option 2 offers the convenience of direct access to destinations such as the 130 Ave SE shopping and commercial area, while Option 1 provides direct efficient connection to the future 52 St E BRT from 114 Ave Se. The feedback was considered along with technical analysis and policy. Option 1 is being recommended for greater transfer convenience and efficiency that benefit customers on MAX Teal and future 52 St E BRT.
The additional connections that aren’t provided by Option 1 will still be available through a combination of the Green Line LRT and local bus routes.
The functional planning study report will be completed by Q1 2026 after addressing feedback from the public.
Your feedback helped shape the extension plan to focus on priorities, like bus stations that are easier to access and reliable service improvements.
We value your feedback and use it to inform the recommended plan. However, please note that public feedback is just one of several inputs we will consider. The final plan will also reflect technical requirements, City policies, budgets and best practices.
Phase 1: Discover Phase engagement occurred from Feb. 10 to March 10, 2025 . This stage provided opportunities for Calgarians to tell us their thoughts on the existing Route 23 service, what their priorities were with an upgraded BRT service, and challenges they faced along the corridor.
Phase 2: Explore Phase engagement occurred from Aug. 4 to Aug. 29, 2025. In this stage, we took the feedback from Phase 1 and used it to inform the proposed BRT plan. We gathered feedback on the proposed locations for the BRT as well as potential barriers people may face in getting to these stations. The feedback received informed the recommended route, revealed in Phase 3.
The 52 Street East Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is a Functional Planning Study. It was identified as a priority project in Calgary Transit’s 30-year strategic plan, Route Ahead, which was council-approved on July 4, 2023. As per the plan, the Route 23 local transit service will be upgraded to BRT service as part of the Primary Transit Network. Route 23 which runs on 52 St E is currently the third busiest local route in the City of Calgary and has seen growing ridership.
The 52 Street E BRT will be a 30 km north-south crosstown route on Calgary’s Primary Transit Network (PTN) between Saddle Ridge at Saddletowne Circle and Seton. The BRT route will intersect several PTN routes for more direct connections (ie. Blue Line LRT, MAX Orange, MAX Purple, BRT route 302, future MAX Teal, and future Green Line LRT).
The transit service and experience will be comparable to existing MAX routes in the City with reliable and faster service to live, play and work destinations and transit transfer locations along 52 St E. Customer experience will be improved with amenities such as well-lit heated shelters, real time displays and convenient transfers to other PTN routes to improve the overall transit journey.
As part of the Study, we are also reviewing the MAX Teal extension from its last east end station at Douglas Glen. The RouteAhead identifies MAX Teal connecting further east to 52 Street E to connect the MAX Teal and 52 St E BRT PTN routes for convenient transfers that improve the overall transit journey.
Public engagement process
We want to hear from you! Public input is a valuable part of developing the plan. Your feedback will play a key role in guiding the next phases of the study.
How your feedback will be used
We will collect input from the public, along with technical data, City policies, budgets and best practices to inform the plan. The studies findings will show how transit connects with other transportation modes along the corridor and help guide future transit development.
The engagement process for the 52 St E BRT study will be conducted in three phases:
We appreciate and acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Blackfoot confederacy, made up of the Siksika, Piikani, Amskaapipiikani and Kainai First Nations; the Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi First Nations, comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations; and the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The City of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory (Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6). We acknowledge all Indigenous people who have made Calgary their home.
You see the results of decisions made by The City of Calgary every day. Get involved and provide your input on City projects and programs. Together we can build a better city.
Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:
| Phone | 311 or 403-268-CITY (2489) |
|---|---|
| engage@calgary.ca | |
| Website | www.calgary.ca |
