Route 19 (MTA Maryland)
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Route 54 is 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 route was formerly known as Route 19 prior to 2017. The line currently runs from the State Center Metro Subway Station to the intersection of
Harford Road Maryland Route 147 (MD 147) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Harford Road, the state highway runs from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) and US 40 Truck in Baltimore north to US 1 and US 1 Business in Benson. MD 147 is an alter ...
and Northern Parkway. From there it splits into two branches. About one half of buses continue operating along Harford Road to the Carney Park-and-Ride just north of the I-695 interchange, and the other half to the intersection of Goucher Boulevard and Taylor Avenue in
Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
via Northern, McLean Boulevard, Hillsway, and Taylor. The line serves the communities of Montebello,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...
, and Parkville. The bus route is the successor to the 19 Harford Avenue
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 19 was
electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic history ...
as a streetcar along Harford Road in 1894. The line terminated in the north in Parkville and did not serve Carney. Service between Parkville and Carney was provided by Bus Route R from 1936 to 1948, and by Bus Route 53 from 1948 to 1956. The no. 19 line started providing service to Carney when it was converted to a bus in 1956. In 1952, it was combined with the no. 31 streetcar, and extended to serve the corridor of Garrison Boulevard in West Baltimore. In 1956, the operation was converted to rubber tire buses. Over the next few decades, the line was expanded. The route was extended along
Belvedere Avenue 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 L M N O P R Ramsay st S U W Y Numbered streets In Balt ...
to Sinai Hospital and north to the Carney Park-and-Ride, and branches were formed to Northern Parkway and McLean Boulevard,
Walther Avenue 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 L M N O P R Ramsay st S U W Y Numbered streets In Balt ...
, Joppa Heights, and the Hickey School. Also, express trips operated via
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
. In 1987, Route 19 was split into two lines in order to improve schedule adherence on both sides of town. The new Route 19 ran from State Center north of downtown Baltimore, and the line served the Harford Road corridor. The new Route 91 operated from Sinai Hospital to City Hall, serving the western half of this route. During the 1990s, the following changes were made to Route 19: *The McLean branch was extended to Goucher & Taylor, overlapping with a portion of Route 55. It was also made into a full-time service. *The Walther Avenue branch was discontinued. *Express trips via
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
were discontinued.


Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative

In 2005, as part of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative, a comprehensive overhaul plan for the region's transit system, MTA first proposed to eliminate the Joppa Heights and Hickey School branches. No changes to this line were implemented along with Phase I in 2005. In 2006, a two revised plans were introduced. The first was to likewise shorten the line to
Lexington Market Lexington Market is a historic market in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland. The market is now housed in a 60,000-square-foot market shed building completed in 2022 that is home to 50 merchants and kiosks. The market has occupied many market buildings ...
. But a new revised plan was introduced later in 2006 in which the line would be split into two separate lines. One line, which would have retained the no. 19 designation, would have continued to operate from Carney to State Center, with a minor routing change in the downtown area, and would have operated every 30 minutes at most times. The other would have been known as Route 37, and would have operated from Goucher & Taylor to Cherry Hill via the current route downtown, then via the route of
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the remainder of the way. These two lines would operate on an alternating basis with coordinated schedules between Northern & Harford and downtown Baltimore. These changes were not implemented, and GBBI was canceled in 2007. But the Joppa Heights and Hickey School branches were later eliminated in 2009, with no other changes to the route.


Route 19A

In 1973, a new Route 19A was introduced that also originated at the Carney Park-and-Ride, and operated to Downtown Baltimore via a different route. It was a replacement for a route previously provided by the defunct McMahon Services. The line provided one morning trip between Carney and downtown, and one evening trip from downtown to Carney. It operated to points on Harford Road north of the Park-and-Ride lot, serving the Cub Hill area, and then followed
Old Harford Road Old Harford Road, one of the oldest continuously used rights-of-way in central Maryland, United States, is a southwest–northeast thoroughfare in northeast Baltimore City and eastern Baltimore County. Present-day Old Harford Road begins in the ...
and shorter sections of other thoroughfares in Parkville and
Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...
not served by other bus service prior to reaching Charles Street in the Rodgers Forge area. From there, it continued directly downtown. The line was renamed Route 105 in 2000., In October 2005, Route 105 was discontinued due to its low ridership. No replacement service was formed. Riders within a close walk of other routes were advised to use those.


In popular culture

*A Route 19 bus is shown in the 2004 film
A Dirty Shame ''A Dirty Shame'' is a 2004 American satirical sex comedy film written and directed by John Waters and starring Tracey Ullman, Johnny Knoxville, Selma Blair, Chris Isaak, Suzanne Shepherd and Mink Stole. ''A Dirty Shame'' is currently the ...


References

*Baltimore Streetcars By Herbert H. Harwood, Paul W. Wirtz, page 104-05, {{MTA Maryland Maryland Transit Administration bus routes 1956 establishments in Maryland