The Hogan Administration Launches Public Awareness Campaign for Final BaltimoreLink Plan

“This transformative plan is another great example of our long-term commitment to the future of the Baltimore region by providing an innovative transit network to better connect Marylanders to jobs, education, and health care,” said Governor Hogan.

“This plan delivers better service to existing riders and more frequent and expanded transit access to many underserved communities,” said Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn.

“We are pleased to partner with the Hogan Administration to deliver BaltimoreLink with dedicated bus lanes and transit signal prioritization at key intersections to unlock the transit network’s potential for the Baltimore region,” said Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh. “This transformative BaltimoreLink system will support and energize the great revitalization and urban development projects we have underway in every corner of our great city!”

“Starting this week, our MTA team will be on board buses and in communities throughout our service area to talk with our customers about BaltimoreLink and answer any questions they may have,” said MTA Administrator and CEO Paul Comfort. “We want to ensure that our riders know what to expect as a result of BaltimoreLink improvements.”

Key features of this round of public education include:

• BaltimoreLink Info Bus: MTA will deploy the BaltimoreLink Info Bus on all current MTA routes and pick up riders for free. On board the bus, route experts will talk with passengers about how the new BaltimoreLink system will affect their trip, improve their commute to work, and enable them to reach places they need to go for shopping, community resources, medical services, and many other local amenities.

• BaltimoreLink Ambassadors: MTA transit teams will be available at important bus stops, on board select bus routes, and at key transit centers to answer questions and promote awareness of the service changes.

• Community Travel Training: MTA will partner with the Center for Mobility Equity to provide comprehensive training for senior riders, persons with disabilities, and students on how to use the new BaltimoreLink system safely and independently.

BaltimoreLink is the multi-phase plan to create an interconnected transit system by redesigning the entire local and express bus systems throughout Baltimore and adds 12 new high-frequency, color-coded bus routes (called CityLink) that improve connections to jobs and to MARC Train, Metro Subway and Light Rail. BaltimoreLink transforms Baltimore’s half-a-century-old and outdated transit network with implementation of bus-only dedicated lanes, installation of transit signal priority, construction of a transfer hub network, rebranding and replacement of more than 5,000 transit signs, expanded commuter bus service, new shared bicycle availability, access to car-sharing options and more. New Express BusLink launched its suburb-to-suburb service in June 2016. As promised, expanded and new Commuter Bus service has seen launches in the summer and fall of 2016 and two more routes that launched in March providing commuter service between Kent Island/Annapolis and Baltimore.

Since BaltimoreLink was introduced on October 22, 2015, the plan has undergone three successive updates based on feedback from the public, bus drivers and an intensive transit service analysis.  At more than 200 public meetings during two outreach phases and a formal public hearing, the MTA collected 4,400 comments with 1,100 comments from MTA operators and 3,300 comments from the public through stakeholder meetings, pop-up events, community workshops, digital comment forms and an online crowdsourcing website.