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.

Through this Functional Planning Study, we will:

• Work with the public and key audience to understand the opportunities and/or constraints, as well as their needs, wants, concerns, and ideas;
• Develop a functional plan for the 52 St E BRT corridor including BRT stations, access to transit service, transit priority measures, roads, and intersections;
• Recommend MAX Teal extension functional plan;
• Determine the phasing and cost of the project;
• Identify the necessary right-of-way and develop a business case to acquire funding for future project phases (ie. design and construction).

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:

• Phase 1: Discover - Gather initial feedback to inform the design concept options.
• Phase 2: Explore - Share design concept options for public feedback.
• Phase 3: Refine - Present the preferred options and gather feedback to refine and prepare the preferred plan.

Q: What are Functional Planning Studies for BRT Projects?

A: BRT Functional Planning Studies:

• Determine a final design recommendation for the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor to improve transit service and connections for Calgarians.
• Are an early step in planning how transit infrastructure will be designed, including BRT routes, stations, access to transit service, transit priority measures, roads, and intersections.
• Recommend the necessary right-of-way for the BRT project, conduct the cost estimation, define the project benefits, and identify risks.
• Focuses on gathering input from the public and interested parties to understand current issues, constraints, and the needs and preferences of local residents. This feedback ensures that the plans address the concerns and desires of the community.
• Prepares a project to be shovel-ready, meaning it is ready to move forward with design and construction. Being shovel-ready is important for getting funding. Once the project is funded, the functional design will be developed into a detailed design, where specific features will be planned in further detail.

Q: What happens after the functional planning study?

The functional planning study will position a project to be shovel-ready, enabling it to advance the design and construction. This readiness is important for securing funding. If the project becomes funded, the recommended concept design will move into detailed design where the specific features will be planned in further detail.

Q: What is the primary transit network and the Max line?

The Primary Transit Network is the core of Calgary’s transit system. It features high-quality, high-frequency service designed to be fast and convenient. Services on these key corridors are planned to run every 10 minutes or less, 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

Key Features of the Primary Transit Network:

• High-frequency service: Transit services operate every 10 minutes or less for at least 15 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Convenient: Designed to be faster and more accessible for customers.
• Service quality: Focuses on providing excellent service, not just on the type of vehicle used.
• Flexible: Allows customers to travel freely without having to plan around a schedule, encouraging more people to use transit.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) means limited stop bus service on existing streets, shared with automobiles. In Calgary, BRT buses get priority at traffic lights and may use special lanes or queue jumps to avoid delays from congestion. This type of BRT is cost-effective and helps passengers reach their destinations faster than local bus routes.

MAX Line is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line with additional features. The benefits of a MAX line include more frequent service, fewer stops, transit priority measures (dedicated bus lanes, transit signal priority, etc), heated shelters, real-time information displays, and more direct connections. It all adds up to more convenience, more comfort, and more connections. (e.g., MAX Orange, MAX Purple, MAX Teal, and MAX Yellow)

Q: What work has been done on 52 Street E so far?

In 2021, the City of Calgary completed a Transit Improvements Project along 52 Street E, which included several enhancements to support transit efficiency. These improvements featured transit-only queue jump lanes, sections of dedicated bus lanes, and transit signal priority measures at key intersections. This Functional Planning Study will build on these existing improvements, further enhancing transit services along the corridor. (Note: Due to the tight design and construction timelines tied to funding, public engagement was not conducted during that phase.)

Q: What other City of Calgary projects are happening on 52 Street E?

The City of Calgary has several ongoing Pathway and Bikeway projects in Wards 5, 10, and 9. See Calgary's Pathway and Bikeway Network | Engage

• MAX Purple E Functional Planning Study
• The Blue Line Northeast LRT Extension
• Bikeway and Pathway projects - Ward 5
• Bikeway and Pathway projects - Ward 9
• Bikeway and Pathway projects - Ward 10
• Peigan Trail Twinning
• Seton Regional Park

Q: Will the project be constructed?

The functional planning study for the 52 Street Corridor is fully funded. However, funding for the detailed design and construction has not yet been secured. Once funding is allocated, we will be able to provide estimated timelines for the next phases of the project.