Bus Rapid Transit | Gorham-Westbrook-Portland

Bus Rapid Transit Conceptual Design

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project is currently in its Conceptual Design phase. This phase includes important steps such as finalizing the alignment of the route, identifying station locations, and determining where rapid transit elements such as dedicated bus lanes is feasible. This phase of the study will also begin to look at aspects such as anticipated impacts to general traffic flow, parking, and right-of-way.

During the conceptual design study, Metro will be working with our consultant, Nelson\Nygaard, as well as key staff from Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland to make these critical design decisions and ensure that the BRT project aligns with other municipal plans. We will also be conducting additional public process and dedicated stakeholder outreach to ensure that the design decisions made at this critical step incorporate as much useful feedback as possible.

This phase of the study is scheduled to run through June 2026, with future design phases to follow.

2023 Study Overview


The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland Rapid Transit Study examined the need for and benefits of a rapid transit line connecting Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland. Based on estimated ridership, travel times, operating costs, and social equity, the study concluded that the most direct and fastest route alignment is via Main Street, Brighton Ave, and Congress Street. From west to east, this alignment connects USM Gorham, Gorham Village, downtown Westbrook, Rock Row, USM Portland, Maine Medical Center, downtown Portland, and the Eastern Waterfront. See project document below:

Executive Summary:
The study’s recommendation is a rapid bus service connecting Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland, primarily via Main Street, Brighton Avenue, and Congress Street.

What’s Rapid Transit? 
Rapid transit is a form of public transportation that includes features that significantly improve the speed, frequency, and quality of service. The graphic below displays features of a rapid transit.

A graphical representation of a bus rapid transit system, showing bus lanes, high capacity vehicles, enhanced stations with raised platforms, ticket vending machines, real time arrival information, larger shelters, and other passenger amenities. The image also indicates that there will be transit signal priority for transit vehicles, and unique branding.

What’s next?
The Policy Board approved the route alignment in Winter 2024, allowing the project to move into preliminary design. Greater Portland Metro will now serve as the project lead and plans to begin preliminary design this year. In this phase, project partners will determine where stations are located, what amenities are at each station, and how the project will impact parking and other street uses. 

Greater Portland Metro is working with a consultant to assist with next steps in the BRT corridor design, which will include station locations and mock ups of street redesigns. We hope to have conceptual designs created by early 2026.

Please check back for additional information on this project.

The Bigger Picture. 
The purpose of this project is to provide fast, reliable, and frequent transit service that connects Gorham, Westbrook, and Portland’s major transportation and/or activity centers. This project stems from our region’s long-range transit plan Transit Tomorrow. That plan identifies five corridors where rapid transit is feasible. The Gorham-Westbrook-Portland corridor is the first corridor studied. The bigger goal is to create a rapid transit network that meets the growing demand placed on our transportation network without building new roads or inducing more vehicle travel.