Baltimore Metro SubwayLink

Metro SubwayLink
Metro Subway train entering the Reisterstown Plaza station, bound for Owings Mills
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
Status	Operational
Locale	Baltimore, Maryland
Termini	Owings Mills (west) Johns Hopkins Hospital (east)
Stations	14
Daily ridership	40,100 (Q2 2016)[1]
Ridership	12,948,400 (2015)[2]
Website	mta.maryland.gov/metro-subway
Operation
Opened	November 21, 1983 (1983-11-21)
Owner	Maryland Transit Administration
Operator(s)	Maryland Transit Administration
Character	Underground, surface, elevated
Depot(s)	5801 Wabash Avenue[3]
Rolling stock	100 Budd cars[4]
Technical
Line length	15.4 mi (24.8 km)[5]
Track length	34 mi (55 km)[3]
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail (700 VDC)[5]
Operating speed	70 mph (110 km/h)[4]
Highest elevation	28 ft (8.5 m)[4]
Route map Owings Mills I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) Old Court Milford Mill Reisterstown Plaza Rogers Avenue West Coldspring Mondawmin Penn–North Upton–Avenue Market State Center / Cultural Center Lexington Market Charles Center Shot Tower–Market Place Johns Hopkins Hospital

The Metro SubwayLink, known locally as the Metro Subway, The Subway, or the Baltimore Metro,^[6] is a rapid transit line serving the greater area of Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, and operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. Despite its name, less than half of the line is underground; most of the line outside the central city is elevated or at surface grade.^[4]

History

The origins of the Metro Subway lie in the Baltimore Area Mass Transportation Plan, published in 1965, which envisioned six rapid transit lines radiating out from a central city loop. Planning studies from 1968 proposed a rail transit system 71 mi (114 km) long.^[4]

As the vision was translated into reality, the original concept was trimmed to a 28 mi (45 km) system in the Phase 1 plan, published in 1971. This plan involved two of the original six lines: a northwest line from Downtown Baltimore to Owings Mills and a south line to Glen Burnie and the airport. Phase 1 was approved for funding by the Maryland General Assembly in 1972. In response to crime concerns of Anne Arundel County residents, the MTA eliminated the south line from Phase 1 plans in 1975.^[4]

When the Baltimore Metro opened on November 21, 1983, only the "Northwest" line of the 1965 plan had come to fruition. This 7.6 mi (12.2 km) segment provided service between Charles Center in Downtown Baltimore and Reisterstown Plaza in the northwest section of the city. On July 20, 1987, a 6.1 mi (9.8 km) addition extended the line from Reisterstown Road Plaza to Owings Mills in Baltimore County, much of it running in the median of I-795. A further extension of 1.6 mi (2.5 km) from Charles Center to Johns Hopkins Hospital was opened on 31 May 1995 .^[3][5]

Once the project was completed in 1995, the total cost for the Metro Subway was $1.392 billion.^[4]

The current system is 15.4 mi (24.8 km) long, including 6.2 mi (10 km) underground, 2.2 mi (3.5 km) elevated, and 7.0 mi (11.3 km) at grade level (with roadways separated). Eight of its 14 stations are underground, at depths of 52 ft (16 m) to 112 ft (34 m) below street level. Its elevated stations stand from 25 ft (7.6 m) to 28 ft (8.5 m) above ground.^[5]

When the system started operation, it became the largest single user of Susan B. Anthony dollar coins.^[7]

On February 11, 2018, the MTA announced a month-long closure of the entire subway system to complete emergency track repairs identified during a safety inspection. An aboveground portion of the system had already been shut down due to emergency inspections and repairs.^[8] The system reopened on March 9.^[9]

Rolling stock

Budd-built Universal Transit Vehicle as seen on the Baltimore Metro Subway departing the Millford Mill Station.

These cars were manufactured by the Budd/TransitAmerica Red Lion plant in Northeast Philadelphia. Most were delivered in 1983 with a supplementary set of essentially identical cars being purchased in 1986 for the line expansion. The cars, marketed by Budd as the Universal Transit Vehicle, are identical to those used on the Miami Metrorail because the two agencies built their systems at the same time and saved money by sharing a single order.^[4]

These cars were among the last railcars to be built by Budd before the firm shut down.

Trains draw power from the electric third rail. The cars are 75 feet (23 m) long, 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, and have a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h). Cars are semi-permanently attached in married pairs, and 2-, 4- and 6-car trains are all seen on the line. Each car can hold up to 166 passengers (76 seated, 90 standing).^[4]

The fleet had a significant overhaul between 2002 and 2005. Seats were reupholstered, and the floors were replaced. External destination rollsigns were replaced with LED displays; internal systems that display train destinations and upcoming stop announcements were also installed.

The MTA currently owns 100 Metro Subway cars;^[12] approximately 54 are in use during peak weekday travel times.

In July 2017, the MTA announced the purchase of 78 new railcars to replace the entire subway fleet. The cars will be built by Hitachi Rail Italy, formerly AnsaldoBreda, and will be similar in appearance to those purchased for the Miami Metrorail.^[13]

Proposed extension

Consideration is being given for an extension, from the Metro Subway's Johns Hopkins Hospital terminus northeast to Morgan State University, dubbed the Green Line. Due to the expected high cost of building it as an extension of the existing Metro Subway (which would require tunneling in densely populated neighborhoods), the extension may take the form of a connecting light rail or bus rapid transit service. As of 2011, plans have not progressed.

See also

• List of metro systems
• List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
• Light RailLink

References

External links

Route map:

• Media related to Baltimore Metro SubwayLink at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website