HSR Next: Hamilton's first round of bus-network changes is now proposed for fall 2027

Where HSR Next stands

HSR Next is the City of Hamilton's redesign of the Hamilton Street Railway bus network, shifting it from a downtown-focused system to a hub-to-hub network. Council approved the final network plan in September 2025. The City says the plan was developed with McMaster University and drew on more than 27,000 interactions with riders, residents and community groups.

The City says the service expansion was delayed by one year as part of the budget process Council approved in February 2026, so the first year of route and service changes will now begin in 2027. HSR Next is designed to roll out over seven years, and the City says the changes for each year are subject to change and will be finalized before that year's engagement.

Proposed fall 2027 changes

• New Route 9 Rosedale: Hamilton Stadium to the Kenilworth Access roundabout, connecting with the new Centre on Barton.
• Route 20 A-Line: more weekday evening service, every 10 minutes until 8 pm, every 15 minutes from 8 to 10 pm and every 20 minutes after 10 pm.
• Route 22 Upper Ottawa: removed from downtown and shifted to Ottawa Street in the north end.
• Route 27 Upper James: modified to run between HSR's Mountain Transit Centre and Pier 8, with hourly service on parts of Burlington Street and Wentworth Street North.
• New Route 31 Concession: Mohawk College to Mohawk Sports Park via Concession Street.
• New Route 32 Fennell: Frank A. Cooke Terminal to a new Parkdale Hub at Parkdale and Queenston, via Fennell Avenue, also serving the Mohawk College Hub.
• New Route 34 Mohawk: Meadowlands Hub to Eastgate Hub via Mohawk Road and Upper Centennial Parkway, with some trips continuing to Confederation GO Station.

On-demand service in Mount Hope and Stoney Creek

HSR is also proposing to extend myRide On-Demand, a stop-to-stop service that adjusts its route to ride requests, to Mount Hope and Stoney Creek, replacing the current Trans-Cab service there. The Engage Hamilton project page says the proposal belongs to the HSR Next annual service plan that begins in fall 2027, and that it still needs Council approval.

The proposed Mount Hope zone is divided into a north area and a south area, both connecting to Routes 20 A-Line and 27 Upper James along Upper James Street, with no myRide connection between the two. The proposed Stoney Creek zone runs east from Centennial Parkway North to the boundary with Niagara Region and includes Confederation GO Station.

What happens next

Public feedback was collected through a service-changes survey from May 1 to 22, 2026, and a myRide survey and mapping tool from July 16 to August 3, 2026. The Engage Hamilton page says that feedback is now under review, and that the next stage is an annual service planning report to Council for approval, supported through the City's budget process.