Route 64 was a
bus route
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
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 ...
in
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 ran from the intersection of
North Avenue and
St. Paul Street to
Curtis Bay, with selected trips to Energy Parkway and
Riviera Beach. The line also served
Federal Hill,
Port Covington
Port Covington is a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland. Previously, Port Covington was a railroad terminal built by the Western Maryland Railway in 1904 on the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. The terminal facilities included coal, grain an ...
, and
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
The bus route was the successor to the 6 Curtis Bay
streetcar line
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
.
History
Route 64 started operating in 1977 after a line known as Route 6 was split into several other lines. Its route has a history of being served by streetcars.
The No. 6 Curtis Bay Streetcar started operating in 1892. In 1929, the route was extended east from
downtown Baltimore
Downtown Baltimore is the central business district of the city of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Franklin Street to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the s ...
to
Patterson Park
Patterson Park is an urban park in Southeast Baltimore, Maryland, United States, adjacent to the neighborhoods of Canton, Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and Butchers Hill. It is bordered by East Baltimore Street, Eastern Avenue, South Patte ...
. The line was extended again in 1935 to
Orangeville after absorbing the eastern portion of the No. 4 Streetcar Line (a service presently provided on the west side by
bus route 15 and on the east side by
bus route 35). In 1948, the Curtis Bay-East Monument Street line was converted to a bus.
In 1959, Bus Route 6 absorbed Bus Route 29, the line that had operated between
Roland Park
Roland Park is a community located in Baltimore, Maryland. It was developed between 1890 and 1920 as an upper-class streetcar suburb. The early phases of the neighborhood were designed by Edward Bouton and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
History
J ...
and downtown (a service now provided by
Route 61). While all trips had operated from Curtis Bay, the line had two branches from downtown: one to the east along
Monument Street
This is a list of notable streets in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Heath St. Route 64. (MTA Maryland)
K
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Ramsay st
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In Balt ...
, and one to the north to Roland Park. This alignment continued for the next 18 years.
In 1977, Route 6 was split into four new routes. A new
Route 61 was formed that operated and still operates to this day from Roland Park to downtown. A new Route 62 operated from Monument Street to downtown. (Route 62 was extended to serve
Armistead Gardens
Armistead Gardens is a neighborhood in the Northeast District of Baltimore. It is located north of Pulaski Highway and east of Erdman Avenue, between Herring Run Park (northeast) and the East District neighborhood of Orangeville (southwest).
Ar ...
and
Hollander Ridge and was eventually incorporated into
Route 35). A new Route 63 was formed that operated from
Riviera Beach to downtown. And Route 64 started operating from Curtis Bay to downtown, with branches serving
Wagner's Point, Maryland Drydock, Davison Chemical, and various other places in the area. Routes 63 and 64 overlapped for much of the route within the city.
The Route 63 bus that was formed in 1977 was not the first. A new bus route designated Route X, the highest lettered route in Baltimore transit history, started operating in 1946. It was renamed to Route 63 in 1948. This route operated until 1951, when it was absorbed into Route 6.
Routes 63 and 64 that had been formed in 1977 continued to operate in this fashion until 1993, when changes started to be made.
In January 1993, Route 63 was modified to feed into 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 ...
rather than going to downtown Baltimore. Later the same year, when the light rail was extended further south, it was modified again to feed into the
North Linthicum Light Rail Stop, and selected trips on Route 63 continued north to the Patapsco stop, replacing a branch of Route 64 that had served
Linthicum. The Davison Chemical branch of Route 64 was eliminated due to low ridership, but Route 63 continued to pass the entrance to the plant.
In 1996, Routes 63 and 64 were combined, and selected Route 64 trips were extended to Riviera Beach and Energy Parkway. No replacement service was provided for the portion of Route 63 in the Linthicum area, though many parts of the route are within a close walk of the
light rail. Route 64 from this day on has provided all service for the corridor.
In 2003, Route 64 was shortened to Curtis Bay. Service between Curtis Bay and Wagner's Point was provided on a new Route 65, which operated between 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 ...
and Wagner's Point. This change was made due to a temporary road closure. But Route 65 was eliminated in 2005 as part of the
Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative
The Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI) (pronounced ''GIBBY'') was a sweeping overhaul planned by the Maryland Transit Administration under the administration of then-Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich and his transportation secretary Robert Fl ...
due to low ridership,
Highlights of proposed bus route changes - latimes.com
/ref> and currently, no bus service operates to this area. Only 20 daily riders were using the service to reach Wagner's Point, requiring a taxpayer subsidy of nearly $20 each.[Taxpayer subsidies for MTA routes - baltimoresun.com](_blank)
/ref>
Also in 2005, as part of GBBI, it was proposed that Route 64 would be combined with 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 ...
, and extended north to Mt. Washington through Hampden. In addition, Riviera Beach trips would have been shortened to Energy Parkway. These changes were not implemented, and in 2007, GBBI was canceled.
In 2008, it was proposed that Riviera Beach trips would be shortened to Energy Parkway. But this change was never implemented, and the line continued to serve Riviera Beach nine times daily.
References
*
{{MTA Maryland
Maryland Transit Administration bus routes
1977 establishments in Maryland