MTA Delivers on Transit Plan to Transform Baltimore City
The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is moving ahead with two near-term solutions to improve transit in Baltimore City. On Oct. 25, the MTA began enhanced service for West Baltimore residents on the QuickBus 40. The enhanced bus service will increase frequency between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in Baltimore County and City Hall in Baltimore City. Additionally, beginning on Oct. 31, MTA will make a third bike car available for MARC weekend trains. As a result, all 30 MARC weekend train trips on the Penn Line now will be equipped with bicycle access.
The near-term improvements are part of Governor Larry Hogan’s $135 million in targeted investments to transform and improve transit throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area. The multi-phase plan will create an interconnected transit system, known as BaltimoreLink, and includes redesigning the entire local and express bus systems throughout Baltimore and adding 12 new high-frequency, color-coded bus routes that improve connections to jobs and other transit modes.
"I'm excited to lead this organic reboot of our entire transit system in Baltimore,” said MTA Administrator Paul Comfort. “Our new design erases all of our previous bus routes and replaces them with routes and stops that are supported by ridership data and seamlessly interweaves all three of our rail modes of subway, light rail and commuter train into our interconnected transit system, and allows passengers to get anywhere on our core system with a one-seat transfer. "
The BaltimoreLink system will deliver a unified transit network and includes renaming existing Maryland Transit Administration modes: LocalLink (Local Bus), Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink and MobilityLink to create an interconnected transit system. The BaltimoreLink system includes several components: CityLink, LocalLink, Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, MobilityLink, Express BusLink and BicycleLink. The BaltimoreLink system will debut when the new CityLink high-frequency bus service starts in summer 2017.
A major component of the BaltimoreLink system is CityLink – 12 new high-frequency, color-coded bus routes that will improve reliability and better connect riders to Amtrak, Commuter Bus, Light RailLink, MARC Train, Metro SubwayLink and other services in Baltimore and the surrounding suburbs. In Baltimore City, new CityLink routes will run every 10 minutes during peak periods and every 15 minutes during midday. The new CityLink buses will be specially branded and travel on color-coded routes with easy-to-read signage and detailed maps that will make the system easier to use. The CityLink bus routes, Light RailLink and Metro SubwayLink will form an interconnected, one-transfer system. On the new system, a rider will be able to get from any stop to any other stop with only one transfer.
The MTA will immediately begin an extensive public outreach effort to educate citizens on the elements of the plan and seek their feedback and input. Public workshops will begin in November and continue before the June 2016 launch of the new Express BusLink service. Extensive public outreach efforts also will continue before the June 2017 launch of CityLink and the completely redesigned LocalLink bus network.
