MTA’s Fall 2024 Annual Service Plan proposes service changes for Fall 2024 that adjust core bus routes to increase access and equity across the system, improve reliability and travel time, and adapt service to meet changing travel needs. MTA will continue to monitor service, traffic congestion, ridership, capacity, and resource availability, and will make minor adjustments seasonally in 2024 and 2025 to adjust for continually changing conditions.
The proposal includes service changes to CityLink Lime and Silver; LocalLink 59, 62, 63, 65, 67, 71, 73, and 85; QuickLink 40; and Express BusLink 105, 160, and 163. The proposed service changes would become effective on Sunday, August 25, 2024.
Download the Fall 2024 Annual Service Plan (PDF 8.5M)
Annual Service Plan Goals
| Increase Access & Equity | Improve access and equity by identifying new and better ways to connect people who depend on transit with jobs and services |
|---|---|
| Improve Reliability & Travel Time | Reduce travel times on transit to improve customer journeys by adding more direct connections between routes and destinations |
| Adapt Service to Meet Service Needs | Adapt service to changing travel patterns and customer needs to maximize benefit to customers |
Service Enhancements
- MTA is proposing several service enhancements to improve reliability and connectivity for riders:
- The pilot service on QuickLink 40 is proposed to be made permanent, providing a faster limited-stop service along busy CityLink corridors.
- The pilot service extension to Wagners Point on the LocalLink 73 is proposed to be made permanent, providing a one-seat ride from Downtown Baltimore to Wagners Point.
- LocalLink 85 is proposed to extend to the North Avenue Light Rail station to improve connections to Light Rail from Northwest Baltimore. Stops at Fulton Avenue & Reisterstown Road (#8554) and Druid Hill Avenue & Retreat Street (#12520) would be discontinued.
- LocalLink 67 is proposed to operate uninterrupted all-day weekday service from Downtown to Marley Neck to close an existing gap in service during the late mornings.
- Additional trips are proposed to be added to the Express BusLink 105. Additional trips during the A.M. peak and P.M. peak periods are proposed to reduce crowding.
Service Adjustments to Optimize Operations
- The following adjustments are proposed to improve the efficiency of route operations, as well as being proposed in response to changes in road alignment:
- CityLink Silver will continue operating along Light Street for all trips on a permanent basis. Riders who previously used Charles Street & Henrietta Street (#117) and Charles Street & Ostend Street (#114) can access stops two blocks east.
- CityLink Lime trips ending at Druid Hill Park are proposed to terminate at Pennsylvania Avenue & Clifton Ave. The existing final stop at Cloverdale Road and McCulloh Street (#764) would be discontinued due to conflicts with freight loading operations at the stop.
- LocalLink 71 is proposed to be realigned to run along Mission Boulevard in the Baltimore Peninsula due to permanent changes to the street network.
- The final stop on LocalLink 63 and Express BusLink 163 at the Royal Farms in Tradepoint Atlantic (#14226) is proposed to be moved to a new location on Bethlehem Boulevard due to construction at the current stop.
- LocalLink 59 and Express BusLink 160 are proposed to terminate at the eastbound stop at Eastern Avenue and Tidewater Lane (#7621). The westbound stop at Eastern Avenue and Tidewater Lane (#7561) will be discontinued due to roadway construction at the intersection. The routes will continue to serve the stop at Eastern Avenue and Biscayne Bay Boulevard (#4760).
- LocalLink 62, 63, 65, and Express BusLink 163 are proposed to be rerouted through Center Place in Dundalk due to insufficient roadway width on S Center Place. The routes would be rerouted through Shipping Place and N Center Place on westbound trips. As a result, stops at Dundalk Avenue & S Center Place (#10855) and S Center Place & Shipping Place (#10474) would be discontinued.
Public Comments and Hearings
Participation Timeline
| Public Comment Period Begins | May 6 |
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| Public Hearing #1 | June 5 |
| Public Hearing #2 | June 6 |
| Public Comment Period Closes | July 8 |
| Service Changes Announced | August 12 |
| Service Changes Effective | August 25 |
Public Hearings Information
For the convenience of the public, the public hearings will be held virtually and hosted on Zoom via the website below and via phone.
| Online Participation: | Testimony will be provided via audio only. Advance registration is not offered. Online Access - visit mta.maryland.gov/servicechanges/fall2024 and click the link to the hearing session. |
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| Participation by phone: | Access by Phone - at 301-715-8592 and enter the meeting ID for the hearing session. |
Complete details of the proposed transit service changes are available for public review in the lobby of the William Donald Schaefer Building at 6 St. Paul Street.
Individuals and organizations are invited to provide testimony for the official record. Public hearings will be conducted virtually online and via telephone as shown below.
Public Hearings Schedule
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Meeting ID: 878 1916 2010
Thursday, June 6, 2024
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Meeting ID: 823 8430 9572
Written comments may be submitted via email to HearingComments@mdot.maryland.gov with “Local Bus Testimony” as the subject heading. Comments may also be mailed to MTA Office of Customer Relations, 6 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Written comments will be accepted for the official public hearing record through Monday, July 8, 2024.
Service Plan Details
New Route
QuickLink 40
QuickLink service offers faster, limited-stop service along busy CityLink corridors. QuickLink provides faster service by making fewer stop than a typical CityLink route, but more often than a typical Express BusLink route. QuickLink stops focus on serving major transfer points and activity centers without serving the minor stops in between, which continue to be served by other routes:
Service Levels
As shown below, the new limited-stop service, QuickLink 40, offers weekday service every 20 to 30 minutes.
[table coming soon]
Street Routing
QuickLink 40 offers faster east-west travel between North Bend Road in Westgate and Middle River. The route operates on Edmondson Avenue, Franklin and Mulberry Streets, US-40, Fayette and Baltimore Streets, East Lombard Street, and Eastern Avenue
[table coming soon]
Service Enhancements
The following section proposes enhancements to four routes. Proposed enhancements are based on MTA's goals for this service plan. These adjustments are tentative as MTA seeks public input.
LocalLink 73: Extension to Wagners Point
Pilot service with all trips extending to Wagners Point on the LocalLink 73 is proposed to be made permanent. The proposed service extension is intended to provide service to new employment opportunities at Wagners Point. No changes are proposed to be made to service frequencies or span of service. This extension would provide a one-seat ride from State Center in Downtown Baltimore to Wagners Point via E Patapsco Ave.
LocalLink 85: Extension to North Avenue Light Rail
LocalLink 85 is proposed to extend to North Avenue Light Rail station on all trips to improve connections to the Light RailLink from Northwest Baltimore. Stops at Fulton Avenue & Reisterstown Road (#8554) and Druid Hill Avenue & Retreat Street (#12520) would be discontinued. Instead, the route would turn from Pennsylvania Avenue onto W North Avenue and continue to the North Avenue Light Rail station. No changes are proposed to weekday or weekend service frequencies or span of service.
LocalLink 67: All Day Service
LocalLink 67 is proposed to run without interruption through the midday time period between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., creating all day service on the route. Outside the midday time period, there are no proposed changes to weekday or weekend service frequencies or weekend span of service.
| Current and Proposed Service Levels for LocalLink 67 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Period | Current | Proposed | ||
| Weekday Early | 25 minutes | No Change | ||
| Weekday A.M. Peak | 40 minutes | No Change | ||
| Weekday Midday | No Service | 25 minutes | ||
| Weekday P.M. Peak | 40 minutes | No Change | ||
| Weekday Evening | 80 minutes | No Change | ||
| Weekday Late Night | 90 minutes | No Change | ||
| Saturday | 40 minutes | No Change | ||
| Sunday | 30 minutes | No Change | ||
Express BusLink 105: Additional Trips
Additional trips are proposed to be added during the A.M. Peak and P.M. Peak time periods for the Express BusLink 105. The additional trips would alleviate crowding on the CityLink Pink and Express Bus Link 105 during peak travel periods. There are no proposed changes to weekday span of service.
| Current and Proposed Trips Level for Express BusLink 105 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time Period | Current | Proposed | ||
| A.M. Peak | 4 trips | 6 trips | ||
| P.M. Peak | 3 trips | 4 trips | ||
Service Adjustments
The following section proposes adjustments to eleven routes in six scenarios. Adjustments are proposed to adjust service and stop locations due construction activity and fix operational issues for MTA buses. These adjustments would increase the efficiency of route operations but will not have significant impacts for riders.
CityLink Silver
The return of northbound service on CityLink Silver along Light Street from S Charles Street to Light Street through the Federal Hill neighborhood is proposed to be made permanent. Riders who accessed stops at Charles Street & Henrietta Street (#117) and Charles Street & Ostend Street (#114) would be able to access the route by walking 2 blocks east. There are no proposed changes to frequency or span of service.
CityLink Lime
Trips on the CityLink Lime to Druid Hill Park are proposed to terminate at Pennsylvania Avenue & Clifton Avenue (#1364). CityLink Lime would no longer serve the stop at Cloverdale Road and McCulloh Street (#764) due to conflicts with freight loading operations. Weekday and weekend frequencies and span of service are not proposed to be changed.
LocalLink 71
Changes to the route alignment of LocalLink 71 through the Baltimore Peninsula is proposed to be made permanent due to changes in the street grid. All trips would run along Mission Boulevard in the Peninsula and continue to Patapsco Light Rail Station. Beyond route alignment, there would be no changes to frequencies or span of service.
Tradepoint Atlantic: LocalLink 63 and Express BusLink 163
The final stop on LocalLink 63 and Express BusLink 163 at Tradepoint Atlantic Royal Farms (#14226) is proposed to be moved to a new location on Bethlehem Boulevard due to construction at the current stop. Both routes will continue to serve both sides of Tradepoint Atlantic on all trips. No adjustments to frequency or span of service are proposed for weekday or weekend service.
Whispering Woods: LocalLink 59 and Express BusLink 160
LocalLink 59 and Express BusLink 160 are proposed to move their final and first stop to Eastern Avenue and Tidewater Lane (#7621) in the eastbound direction due to unsafe conditions for pedestrians crossing at the intersection. The westbound stop at Eastern Avenue and Tidewater Lane (#7561) would be discontinued. All westbound trips would continue to serve the Eastern Avenue and Biscayne Bay Boulevard (#4760) stop. No adjustments to frequency or span of service are planned.
Dundalk: LocalLink 62, LocalLink 63, LocalLink 65 and Express BusLink 163
LocalLink 62, 63, 65, and Express BusLink 163 are proposed to be rerouted through Center Place in Dundalk due to narrow roadway conditions on S Center Place. Buses running in the westbound direction would turn north onto Shipping Place from Dunmanway, west onto N Center Place, and continue on to the direction of their routes on Dundalk Ave. Travel in the eastbound direction would remain unchanged.
Due to the change in alignment, the stop at S Center Place & Shipping Place (#10474) in the westbound direction would be discontinued.
The CityLink Navy would be unaffected by this change and would continue to operate as usual. No other changes to service or proposed for any of these routes.
