Route 51 is a bus route operated by the

Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation. The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Baltimore-Washingt ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and its suburbs. The line currently runs from the

Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station Rogers Avenue station is a Metro SubwayLink station in Baltimore, Maryland. It is located in the Woodmere area, and is the fifth most northern and western station on the line, with approximately 900 parking spaces.Patapsco Light Rail Stop Patapsco station is a Baltimore Light Rail station in Halethorpe, Maryland. The stop is located along Patapsco Avenue from which its name is derived. The station serves as a hub for several MTA bus routes. Patapsco was the final stop along the ...

, serving the communities of Arlington, Ashburton, Mondawmin, Rosemont, Baltimore, Cherry Hill, and

Mt. Winans "Mount Winans" ("Mt. Winans") is a mixed-use residential, commercial and industrial neighborhood in the southwestern area of the City of Baltimore in Maryland. Its north, south and east boundaries are marked by the various lines of track of the CSX ...

, and the suburb of Baltimore Highlands.

History

Route 51 mostly is the successor to Bus Route D, which was operated by Auxiliary Bus Lines from 1923 to 1948 along a portion of the current route, mostly along Bentalou and Monroe Streets. Auxiliary Bus Lines also operated a separate route along Hollins Ferry Road in Baltimore Highlands.Routes of Baltimore Transit – 1900 to Today
/ref> The use of the no. 51 designation for the route began in 1948. In 1984, in conjunction with the opening of the

Baltimore Metro Subway The Metro SubwayLink is a rapid transit line serving the greater area of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, and is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. The segment in Downtown Baltimore is underground, and most of the line outs ...

, the route was modified to serve three stations, with its northern terminus extended from Belvedere and Groveland Avenues to Rogers Avenue Station. The line also had selected trips added to Cherry Hill. In 2001, Route 51 was combined with Route 30, which had operated since 1993, and all trips, except for those operating to Cherry Hill, were extended to the

Patapsco Light Rail Stop Patapsco station is a Baltimore Light Rail station in Halethorpe, Maryland. The stop is located along Patapsco Avenue from which its name is derived. The station serves as a hub for several MTA bus routes. Patapsco was the final stop along the ...

via Hollins Ferry Road through

and Baltimore Highlands. Cherry Hill trips were also extended to Patapsco along Hanover Street and Patapsco Avenue. In 2005, as part of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative, MTA initially proposed to eliminate the Cherry Hill branch of Route 51 and increase the level of service to Mt. Winans.http://www.courant.com/news/traffic/bal-te.md.buses09jun09,0,4331322.story This proposal was not implemented in 2005, but in 2006, it was modified. Another plan was introduced to extend the route north to the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station to replace a portion of

Route 27 Route 27, or Highway 27, may refer to: Australia * Burke Developmental Road (Queensland) * Zeehan Highway (Tasmania) Canada * Alberta Highway 27 * British Columbia Highway 27 * Manitoba Highway 27 * Prince Edward Island Route 27 * Saskatchew ...

, which was proposed for elimination, and eliminate some of the deviations into other Metro stations in order to keep the operating time the same. The elimination of Cherry Hill trips was scrapped due to public outcry, and all changes to this route are yet to be implemented. In 2014, the route in southwest Baltimore was modified to serve the Horseshoe Casino on Russell Street, operating via Russell, Haines, Warner, Bayard and Wicomico Streets.

References

{{MTA Maryland Maryland Transit Administration bus routes 1948 establishments in Maryland