Montgomery Bus Rapid Transit

Image: WTOP

In 2013, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved an 81-mile bus rapid transit system – which may be the most ambitious bus rapid transit plan for any suburban jurisdiction in the United States. Once built, the approved corridors will connect Montgomery County’s major neighborhoods, employment centers, and commercial corridors. Montgomery County is currently doing studies for the first three BRT routes: MD355, Veirs Mill Rd, and RT.29.

As of May 2017, the Montgomery County Council has signed off on $7.5 million to design the Rt. 29 BRT line and to continuing studying BRT along MD 355. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has also been awarded $10 million in TIGER grant funds to construct the Rt. 29 BRT line, named “Flash.” It is set to open in 2020. The route is planned from the Burtonsville Park and Ride to Downtown Silver Spring in both dedicated shoulder lanes and mixed traffic. Plans for more dedicated space in the southern portion of the corridor are underway. This will be the first BRT line in Montgomery County.

Resources

Here are some additional great resources to learn more about our work for BRT in Montgomery County:

Latest Happenings

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery's Veirs Mill Rd corridor

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery’s Veirs Mill Rd corridor

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RESIDENTS ALONG VEIRS MILL ROAD NEED THE RTS AS A TRANSIT OPTION • More than 6,000 (15.4%) of commuters along the Veirs Mill Road corridor have commutes longer than 60 minutes. • Since 1990, the number of residents in this corridor with these mega-commutes has nearly doubled. • 22.7% of corridor residents take transit to work: nearly twice as many as in 1990. Almost half of these transit riders take the bus to work. • The median income of Veirs Mill Corridor residents is nearly $20,000 less than the median income in Montgomery County overall. Almost 44% of Veirs Mill Road corridor residents are foreign-born.
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Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery's US-29 corridor

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery’s US-29 corridor

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RESIDENTS ALONG THE US 29 CORRIDOR NEED THE RTS AS A TRANSIT OPTION • Almost 9,500 (17.2%) of commuters in the US 29 corridor have commutes longer than 60 minutes. • Since 1990, the number of residents in this corridor with these mega-commutes has nearly doubled. • 17.5% of corridor residents take transit to work: nearly twice as many as in 1990. Almost half of these transit riders take the bus to work
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Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery's 355 corridor

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery’s 355 corridor

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Today, transit access is more important than ever. Residents along the 355 corridor need the RTS as a transit option. • Nearly 12,000 (14.5%) of commuters along the 355 corridor have commutes longer than 60 minutes. • Since 1990, the number of residents in this corridor with these mega-commutes has more than doubled. • 18.1% of corridor residents take transit to work: nearly twice as many as in 1990. • The median income of 355 corridor residents is over $8,000 less than the median income in Montgomery County overall. Nearly one t...
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Boosters Show Off Bus Rapid Transit Vehicle At MoCo Fair

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Some county officials hope the large bus situated front and center at this year’s Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is a glimpse of the not-so-distant future.
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Montgomery paves the way for bus network that could zip by traffic

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With Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett running for a third term in November, transit advocates are planning an agenda for his next term. Leggett will run against Republican James Shalleck in an overwhelmingly Democratic county. For transit advocates, this means a push to turn projects such as the Purple Line, Corridor Cities Transitway and a bus rapid transit network into reality.
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