Amtrak planners identify 3 possible sites for new train station in Portland [Video]

The operator of the Amtrak Downeaster on Thursday outlined three sites being considered for a new Portland station along the main rail line between Boston and Brunswick.

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority and VHB, an engineering consulting firm, identified one site between Congress Street and Park Avenue behind Amato’s/McDonald’s on St. John Street with access to Congress Street.

A second possibility is south of Congress Street near Union Station Plaza between the Cumberland County Jail and St. John Street.

And a third option unveiled during the virtual meeting Thursday is between the southern end of St. John Street and Northern Light Mercy Hospital.

Patricia Quinn, executive director of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, said officials are “very early in the process” and that a rough cost estimate would be in a “few tens of millions of dollars.”

“Without knowing exactly what we’re going to build, it’s …