135 Million BaltimoreLink Program Will Better Connect Marylanders to Jobs and Other Transit Modes
Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Pete K. Rahn and MDOT Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) Acting Administrator Kevin Quinn gathered today with Baltimore Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and other state, city, business, and community leaders to announce the rollout of BaltimoreLink at the West Baltimore MARC Station. The Hogan Administration’s new transformative transit improvement project delivers on the state’s promise to better connect people in the Baltimore region to jobs and other transit modes.
The official rollout of BaltimoreLink starts at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 18. This multi-phase plan creates an interconnected transit system, redesigns the local and express bus systems and adds 12 new high-frequency, color-coded bus routes that improve connections to jobs and other transit modes. “Baltimore has relied on the same bus routes for decades. What may have worked thirty years ago does not today because our population and our job centers have changed,” said Mayor Pugh. “It has been great to partner with the Hogan Administration to modernize the bus system so that it reflects the transformation taking place in Baltimore, improves travel time throughout the region, and better connects people with jobs. BaltimoreLink will play a key role in the City’s long-term sustainability and economic growth.”
To celebrate the launch of BaltimoreLink, MDOT MTA will offer free transit rides from June 18 through June 30. During the free fare period, the June monthly pass and all CharmCard® 31-day passes will be half-price. These reduced fare passes can be purchased through June 24. Weekly passes will not be sold during this time.
“We are committed to transforming our transit system to better connect our riders to jobs and our various transit modes to help ease congestion in the Baltimore area,” said Acting Administrator Quinn.
A key 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 15 minutes during peak periods. 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, transit system. New LocalLink buses, which will operate on neighborhood streets, will also launch on June 18.
