Garage Bush
Kirk Began service 1947 | Status active | |
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System Maryland Transit Administration Predecessors No. 17 Streetcar
Bus Route T Locale Baltimore, Baltimore County | ||
Route 3 is a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore and its suburbs. The line currently runs from the Inner Harbor with most trips operating to Cromwell Bridge Road Park and Ride (at exit 29 off the Baltimore Beltway) in Baynesville along the corridors of Loch Raven Boulevard and St. Paul Street, with selected trips to Sheppard Pratt Hospital in Towson, mostly via Joppa Road, and some trips making short turns at Loch Raven and Taylor. It is the successor to the 17 St. Paul Street streetcar line that ran from 1893 to 1938 and the Route T bus that ran from 1939 to 1947.
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History
Streetcars on Route 17 provided service along St. 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, when Route T was introduced. This line operated along Loch Raven and 33rd Street as far north as Northwood.
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 along Linden Avenue that would eventually be extended to Halethorpe along the Wilkens Avenue corridor. As the Linden Avenue section would later become a part of the no. 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 of Route 45, which operated between Waverly and Baynesville since 1949. In 1959, the line was combined with the Halethorpe Streetcar Line (known as Route 12 in its final days) and extended to Halethorpe along the Wilkens Avenue corridor, where it served St. Agnes Hospital and UMBC. It followed this route until 1987, when the line was split. After that, service along the Wilkens Avenue corridor was provided by the new Route 31. Service along the same route is currently provided by Route 35.
Route 3 gained ridership along Loch Raven Boulevard in Baltimore County even prior to the corridor's development.
In 1990, a new branch was added to Route 3 that operated to Towson and Sheppard Pratt primarily along Joppa Road. This new service replaced a branch of Route 8 to Eudowood.
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 proposed to eliminate the Sheppard Pratt branch on the route, and eliminate all short turns, except for the Goucher & Taylor loop during peak hours. Sheppard Pratt branch riders were instructed to transfer to Route 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 serve Osler Drive and provide weekend service in this area. This plan was implemented on February 17, 2008.