 | Parts of this article (those related to BaltimoreLink Bus Route Changes) need to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2017) |
 CityLink Green | |
|---|---|
 Towson-bound CityLink Green bus in Downtown | |
| Overview | |
| System | MTA BaltimoreLink |
| Garage | Bush Kirk |
| Status | active |
| Began service | 1947 |
| Predecessors | No. 17 Streetcar Bus Route T |
| Route | |
| Locale | Baltimore, Baltimore County |
| Communities served | Towson Ramblewood Waverly Charles Village Mt. Vernon |
| Landmarks served | Towson University Towson Marketplace Good Samaritan Hospital Union Memorial Hospital Johns Hopkins University Penn Station Washington Monument |
| Other routes | 1,5,7,8,10,11,12,13,15,19,20,21,22,23,30,33,35,36,qb40,44,qb46,qb47,qb48,55,58,61,64,91,120,150,160 |
| Service | |
| Level | Daily |
| Frequency | Every 15-20 minutes Every 10 minutes (peak) |
| Weekend frequency | Every 15-30 minutes |
| Operates | 24 hours[1] |
CityLink Green (abbreviatedGR) is abus route operated by theMaryland Transit Administration inBaltimore and its suburbs. The line currently runs from theInner Harbor with most trips operating toCromwell Bridge RoadPark and Ride (atexit 29 off theBaltimore Beltway) inBaynesville along the corridors ofLoch Raven Boulevard andSt. Paul Street, with selected trips toSheppard Pratt Hospital inTowson, mostly viaJoppa Road, and some trips makingshort turns at Loch Raven andTaylor. It is the successor to the17 St. Paul Streetstreetcar line that ran from 1893 to 1938 and theRoute T bus that ran from 1939 to 1947 and theRoute 3 bus which ran until 2017.[2][3]
Streetcars on Route 17 provided service alongSt. Paul Street during the streetcar era of Baltimore. At this time, the Loch Raven Boulevard corridor was mostly undeveloped. Bus service along Loch Raven did not begin to operate until 1940, whenRoute T was introduced.[4] This line operated along Loch Raven and33rd Street as far north asNorthwood.[5]
The no. 3 designation was not used for any part of this route until 1947. The no. 3 designation was previously used in Baltimore transit history for a streetcar line that operated alongLinden Avenue that would eventually be extended toHalethorpe along theWilkens Avenue corridor. As the Linden Avenue section would later become a part of theno. 5 streetcar, bus route 3 would later serve Halethorpe.
The no. 3 Baynesville to downtown bus resembling today's service began in 1956, when the no. 3 line absorbed the service ofRoute 45, which operated between Waverly and Baynesville since 1949.[6] In 1959, the line was combined with theHalethorpe Streetcar Line (known asRoute 12 in its final days[7]) and extended toHalethorpe along theWilkens Avenue corridor, where it servedSt. Agnes Hospital andUMBC. It followed this route until 1987, when the line was split. After that, service along the Wilkens Avenue corridor was provided by the newRoute 31. Service along the same route is currently provided byRoute 35.
Route 3 gained ridership along Loch Raven Boulevard in Baltimore County even prior to the corridor's development.[8]
In 1990, a new branch was added to Route 3 that operated toTowson andSheppard Pratt primarily alongJoppa Road. This new service replaced a branch ofRoute 8 toEudowood.
In 2005, as part of theGreater Baltimore Bus Initiative, a comprehensive overhaul plan for the region's transit system, MTA proposed to eliminate the Sheppard Pratt branch on the route, and eliminate allshort turns, except for the Goucher & Taylor loop during peak hours. Sheppard Pratt branch riders were instructed to transfer toRoute 55, which was proposed to have an improved frequency.
After a public outcry, MTA put these plans on hold, and revised them in 2006. The new proposal would not only retain the Sheppard Pratt branch, but would modify its route to serveOsler Drive and provide weekend service in this area. This plan was implemented on February 17, 2008.[9]
Route 3 is to be replaced by the BaltimoreLink transit system on June 18, 2017 by multiple routes. City Link Silver will take over the Charles Street, St. Paul Street and 33rd Street part of the route, City Link Green will take the Loch Raven Boulevard portion of the route, and LocalLink 53 will take the Joppa Road, York Road and Osler Drive portion of the route in Towson.[10]
