Baltimore's wonderfully 80's subway!

[@tomo-tawa-linja]

she metro on my subway til I link

[@himbourbanist]

This system has so much potential. Hopefully someday it can really truly be built out.

[@SteveGettingAroundPhilly]

This is a fun video to have a drinking game where you take a drink every time the work Link is said. Very few would survive it. This is definitely one of those routes I need to ride at some point, especially since I've found myself around Baltimore with some regularity lately.

[@29downtheline]

Haha! I actually edited the script at the end to insert a bunch of “links,” so that game would be quite involved! I would definitely recommend taking a ride on the Metro SubwayLink; it’s an interesting transit line, to say the least! Thanks for watching!

[@adammoldover8769]

​@29downtheline I have at least once, I actually used to live in Owings Mills and my grandparents lived there for many more years

[@29downtheline]

@@adammoldover8769 Nice!

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

As mentioned, Baltimore's system was envisioned to be multiple lines in the 1960s. It was envisioned to be six metro lines radiating out from a central city loop and aimed to be a 71-mile system. Due to funding limitations, in 1971, this was trimmed to a 28-mile system in the Phase 1 plan. This Phase 1 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. The latter eventually became light-rail, it didn't become a subway line because people in Anne Arundel County fought against the subway line. Maryland has quite the unique state flag, I completely understand why they love it so much and plaster it everywhere like on the subway or on the light-rail! Whether you like the Maryland flag or not, there's no denying that the Maryland flag is unique. While other states put their shield/coat of arms in the middle of the flag, in the case of Maryland...it makes up the WHOLE flag! It's the 17th-century heraldic banner of arms of Cecil, 2nd Baron Baltimore. The black and gold is Lord Baltimore's banner (from his father, George Calvert 1st Baron Baltimore) and is also on the flag of Baltimore (though the Baltimore flag has the Battle Monument in the middle which commemorates the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812), while the red and white is called the Crossland banner and is from his grandmother. During the colonial period, only the gold and black Calvert arms were associated with Maryland During the Civil War, Marylanders who sided with the Confederacy affiliated with the Crossland banner while those who fought for the Union wore the Lord Baltimore banner. The flag in its present form was first flown in 1880 but wasn't officially adopted as the state flag until 1904.

[@29downtheline]

Well said! Thanks for all the fun facts! I also love Maryland’s flag; I think the design is pretty cool! Thanks also for the detail on the history of the Metro SubwayLink’s construction! And thanks for watching!

[@FredwardFlies]

Lived here all 27 years of my life and I've never used the subway, thanks for sharing!

[@29downtheline]

Thanks for watching! The subway is certainly an interesting system to explore if you get the chance!

[@uptowndc]

The rolling stock sounds like WMATA Breda's. Nice electric razor buzz!

[@29downtheline]

That similar buzzing sound is definitely there. I really don’t know how to describe it other than DC cars sound normal to me and Baltimore cars sound different! Maybe Baltimore cars have slightly more of that buzzing sound!

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Baltimore fun facts: Babe Ruth was born in Baltimore in 1895! In 1774, the first post office in the US was inaugurated in Baltimore, and ten years later in 1884, Baltimore made history again by establishing the first telegraph line in the country, connecting to Washington DC. Composer Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner while witnessing the flag flying over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, set to the tune of a British song called "To Anacreon in Heaven". To honor Fort McHenry's role, it has become national tradition that when a new flag is designed it first flies over Fort McHenry! Baltimore's Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States after the nation's founding. It was constructed between 1806 and 1863 to a design of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the US's first professionally trained architect and Thomas Jefferson's Architect of the US Capitol. It was blessed and opened for use in 1821. The waterfront neighborhood of Fell’s Point was the second largest point of immigration to the US after New York’s Ellis Island. The Baltimore Museum of Art houses the world’s largest collection of works by French artist Henri Matisse, which can be viewed for free alongside the rest of its offerings. Baltimore is home to the USS Constellation, the last Civil War vessel afloat. Built in 1854, the Constellation is the last all-sail warship built by the US Navy. Baltimore is called "Charm City" because of a 1975 meeting of advertisers who created the slogan to improve the city's image. The slogan was the brainchild of Baltimore's then-mayor, William Donald Schaefer, who asked the city's advertising executives to come up with a new way to promote the city. The slogan refers to Baltimore's history, hidden charm, architecture, pop culture icons, and traditions. The commuter Camden Line is interesting in that it's one of the US's oldest rail routes still in operation as the B&O began running commuter service from Baltimore to Ellicott City (Ellicott City station closed but is the oldest remaining passenger railway station in the US) over part of the trackage in May 1830! The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States! Not to mention the B&O's Washington Branch Railway, now along the Camden Line, was the first railroad to serve DC!

[@29downtheline]

Wow! I didn’t know a lot of that stuff! The flag tradition at Fort McHenry is pretty cool! And I have yet to visit the Baltimore Basilica, but I’ve heard it looks a lot like some buildings in DC, which makes sense, given the architect! I very much appreciate the comment! Thanks for watching!

[@Random324-42]

I like the videos showcasing different transit systems!

[@29downtheline]

I’m glad you like them! I have quite a few more transit lines filmed that haven’t even gotten their own videos yet, so stay tuned! Thanks for watching!

[@eb22cnu]

Enjoyed briefly seeing myself in this video!

[@29downtheline]

Thanks for pointing it out!

[@tyleralberico]

I’m visiting Baltimore next weekend, so I have to make a mandatory trip to see this system and buy a charm card

[@29downtheline]

Oh nice! Enjoy the subway if you do get to check it out! All the downtown stations are pretty interesting! I’m really used to the DC Metro, so riding this system was a culture shock. The biggest thing I noticed was that a couple of people actually went out of their way to talk to us when we were riding. Maybe it’s just that Baltimoreans are friendlier than Washingtonians, but it’s been very rare that anyone has suddenly struck up a conversation with me on transit (including that time in Baltimore, once in Jersey City, and once on the 967 out of Newport News towards Portsmouth, though perhaps I owe that last one to the boredom that comes with sitting in bridge-tunnel traffic)! Also, no need to buy a CharmCard; they’re free at the transit store! If you’re paying to purchase a CharmCard at all, you’re paying too much (although they make up for it being free by making them not available actually in the subway). And speaking of the transit store, they might still have the holiday design CharmCard still in stock, so you might be able to get one of those!

[@PiplupJames]

Subway link should’ve been longer-link but I’m glad they’re getting new trains-link. I wonder who is The Weakest Link. Great now i got game shows on my mind 😅

[@29downtheline]

Agreed! And the link puns will never end:)

[@officialmcdeath]

That jazz is probably there to discourage antisocial behaviour \m/

[@29downtheline]

Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some psychological factor involved with it!

[@nomercynodragonforyou9688]

Good, that should be more commonplace

[@ClassyWhale]

Wait is that THE charm card?

[@29downtheline]

Yes it is! I have to say, I like the regular SmarTrip design better than the regular CharmCard, but the CharmCard holiday design is really neat! Also, I would not be surprised if I am one of the only people who’ve ever used a CharmCard to pay for Loudoun County Transit and Fairfax Connector fares!

[@bashwalker7985]

The CharmCard Is a duplicate version of the SmarTrip Card in DC (WMATA). Both the CharmCard and SmarTrip Card can be used on both systems and are actually the same exact card. The only difference is the CharmCard is issued by the MTA and the SmarTrip card is issued by WMATA. I’ve used my SmarTrip Card on the metro in Baltimore, CityLink Buses, and Light Rail. I’ve also used the CharmCard on the DC metro when getting on at Union Station from the Marc Train. On the back of the card you will see the logo for each (Washington metro) and MTA logo and it says both systems will honor the card. I love the design of both cards especially the CharmCard with the multiple modes of transit and the holiday cards they gave out

[@29downtheline]

@@bashwalker7985 I like that the CharmCard shows the modes of (MTA) transit as well! I think the overall picture design of the SmarTrip card is better, but I think if the MTA added a little bit more color to the CharmCard, it would look more appealing! And that cross-compatibility between WMATA and MDOT MTA is nice!

[@modeltrainmaster0838]

I love the MTA as a regular rider, the worlds oldest fare machinelinks are great to use

[@29downtheline]

I didn’t know they were that old, but that would certainly explain those wonderful graphics on-screen(link)!

[@maus92]

The fare machines were originally designed to use Susan B Anthony dollar coins as tokens.

[@29downtheline]

@@maus92 Oh that makes sense! Wasn’t the Metro SubwayLink the largest user of Susan B Anthony dollars at some point?

[@maus92]

@@29downtheline Sounds about right - I think I remember reading that somewhere, lol.

[@stevensimpson6872]

Nice video

[@29downtheline]

Thank you so much!

[@nomercynodragonforyou9688]

Yes, they should build more lines that go horizontal on the map. And eventually lines that stretch outside the county itself, connecting the innercity with Howard county. Although Carroll county will be an issue to connect with, so who knows....

[@29downtheline]

I think a Howard County line along Route 40 would be cool!

[@DanHominem]

KZbin CommentLink

[@29downtheline]

KZbin ReplyLink

[@ChayceGraham-e2z]

I remember ridding the train when i was in Maryland

[@29downtheline]

Nice! It’s a neat rail line!

[@chriscubingclips]

Lived around Baltimore all my life but never ridden the MDOT Maryland MTA Baltimore Metro SubwayLink (or light rail). It just doesn't go anywhere I needed to be. If the Red Line does get built I hope it at least provides better links to each mode. That said, a street running light rail east/west across Baltimore will be one heck of a slow ride, but it's hard to justify the cost and time to build another underground subway line in Baltimore when the ridership just isn't there.

[@29downtheline]

Fair enough. I think if the red line is going to be a mixed traffic light rail, I’d almost rather take a bus. I think, if they built a new metro line (either underground or elevated), if planned correctly, they could build lots of developments around stations to drive up ridership. I think a line from the West Baltimore MARC station east through downtown and over to somewhere in eastern Baltimore that’s completely unserved by rail transit would be nice!

[@EdwardM-t8p]

I'm hoping one of these days the state will upgrade the light rail to Boston MBTA Blue Line / Chicago EL surface lines by connecting the off-street sections with a tunnel through Downtown Baltimore either new or taking over the existing CSX tunnel under Howard Street.

[@29downtheline]

Yes! A downtown tunnel would be great! Honestly, paralleling the Howard Street Tunnel wouldn’t be a bad idea. They could divert the line over to interchange with the Metro SubwayLink at either/both State Center and Lexington Market as well. Regardless of whether the Red Line gets built, this improvement to the existing light rail would be great!

[@willplaut9416]

i like this video thanks 29 down the line

[@29downtheline]

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

[@cornkopp2985]

I live along the "metro subway link" (or the subway as regular people call it) and it is very nice for getting to and from areas along the line. I will say though, in my experience the frequencies on the ground are much worse than the frequencies on paper. Whether its maintenance or bunching or whatever I regularly have to wait 15-30 minutes for a train during evening hours, or if im travelling against the flow of commuters (into hopkins in the morning and out towards owings mills in the evening). It really is sad that expansions to the system keep getting cancelled, since the city totally does have the population and ridership to justify a proper heavy rail system. I'm not very optimistic about the red line these days, but if they did build the version that has a downtown tunnel I think it would revolutionize the system. IMO what the city needs for a comprehensive rail transit system is an east-west line, a better north-south line that serves places like towson/jhu/penn station, and a northeast extension of the existing subway/metro line link thingy through morgan state to parkville or something. Would also help massively if the light rail that exists actually got priority at traffic lights (sobbing)

[@29downtheline]

Thanks for all that insight! I totally agree that the system needs to be expanded. I really don’t know how cheaply the MDOT MTA could get stuff built, considering all the issues with the Purple Line, but I’d like to see more of an actual subway system get built out. Light rail is great, but Baltimore deserves to have better rail transit than what it currently has. And running more on time on the existing line is certainly something they could work on right now!

[@cornkopp2985]

@@29downtheline Agreed. It's ridiculous that the red line resurrection was never allowed to be a subway line. During the community input phase they actually had the audacity to try and sell people on a brt line vs a light rail. Of course everyone chose light rail, and now they're supposedly deciding between two surface running alignments and one mixed alignment with a 3 mile tunnel through downtown and street running at the outer sections. Ofc, out of those options I strongly prefer the light rail with a downtown tunnel. I would massively prefer a fully grade separated heavy rail line, but at this rate we probably just aren't gonna get anything at all. At least not for the next decade.

[@29downtheline]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@cornkopp2985 Honestly, we’re seeing a somewhat similar thing right now in Hampton Roads. I feel like Hampton Roads Transit is really trying to push BRT over light rail (heavy rail wasn’t an option for Chesapeake, but then again, it’s a much smaller city than Baltimore, so it makes sense). Unlike with Baltimore transit though, progress on studies and community outreach/input for the Chesapeake line seems to be going quite well. But we’ll still have to wait and see what happens! And hey, I guess the silver lining with the red line issues in Baltimore is that, if it does get cancelled (or put on hold indefinitely), someone could actually work on proposing a proper heavy rail line instead. But it’s a tricky situation when your options are either mediocre (or bad) transit now, or good transit later.

[@entertainmenttv5201]

Baltimore could’ve and still can be one of the best subway systems if they built the 6 lines but it can still be if they replace the light rail with the subway and build the red line either as light rail or subway and a major expansion can be extended to Morgan state,white marsh, and Martin state airport and I-95 into two lines right now that will be a major improvement than now but hopefully it can happen if the state investment a lot in Baltimore transit like they do with dc

[@29downtheline]

I agree; building more lines would be great! Converting much of the light rail through downtown (where it’s really slow) to underground heavy rail would be awesome! Baltimore knows how to build a subway; now the subway just needs to go more places!

[@Madwonk]

​@@29downtheline Even just getting Baltimore on the level of Atlanta (a handful of lines crossing through downtown with bus transfers outside of there) would be groundbreaking relative to the current system. Many of the stations were built to accommodate much more than they currently have so the potential is there!

[@29downtheline]

I agree! I would gladly take a MARTA-sized system for Baltimore! MDOT MTA already runs some good bus routes through Baltimore, so I think if there were more rail lines added, the bus connections would be pretty good!

[@EdwardM-t8p]

I agree; it would make Baltimore a lot more attractive both as an outlying suburb of DC and as a thriving urb in its own right.

[@maus92]

@@29downtheline Baltimore didn't build it; the state built it. It would be hellish if the city built and / or ran it.

[@fritzyboi6390]

L.A. was going to use those Budd trains as seen in old SCRTD concept drawings, but we got Breda A650s instead

[@29downtheline]

Oh neat! I really don’t know too much about west coast transit history, but Breda is cool too!

[@teeceedeecee]

My understanding is that Budd folded before that order was completed and Breda ended up making something to the same general design & spec as the Budds would have been.

[@mmrw]

Baltimore always struck me as kind of a strange city urbanism wise since nearly all of it is super dense and super walkable, but the transit always seemed like, mid I guess? Not bad for a city that size but not nearly what you would expect for the density

[@TheGAMWolferz]

Metallic SausageLink

[@railsand]

hoping to visitlink baltimore sooner than later

[@29downtheline]

It’s a cool CityLink! Lots of neat history! The B&O museum is phenomenal, even if you’ve been before!

[@entertainmenttv5201]

Can you do the light rail?

[@29downtheline]

For sure! I think that I might make a video rating and comparing the Baltimore light rail with the Norfolk light rail!

[@brettflynn51]

Link

[@joshuafajardo5697]

Blud just insulted Boston by saying Atlanta as an ➡️ Coast 🚇 & never mentioning Boston when Atlanta is in the ⬇️ & Boston is in the Atlantic & has a bigger 🚇 than Atlanta & Philly

[@29downtheline]

Well nothing was meant as an insult to Boston! It’s just that I have no footage whatsoever from the T. I do want to ride Boston’s transit at some point; it’s just quite far from DC! The MBTA has a lot of variety, though, and seems pretty cool!

[@joshuafajardo5697]

@ I was just making a joke but on a serious note, I do wanna ride ride 🚇 & 🚊 in Atlanta & Boston has alright 🚇 & 🚈

[@joshuafajardo5697]

Chicago & DC have the best 🚇 followed by 🎭🗽🇺🇸

[@29downtheline]

@@joshuafajardo5697 I haven’t ridden any transit in Chicago, but I can certainly verify that that DC Metro is great! It could be much better in terms of service area, service patterns, and frequency, but it probably has the nicest passenger experience!

[@joshuafajardo5697]

@@29downtheline I’m from Chicago so I can verify that The L is 👍 & I did like the 🚇 in DC when I visited in 2019

[@bashwalker7985]

It’s mind boggling that Baltimore the first city to ever have passenger rail service in the United States from the B&O Main line and Northern Central Railway only has one subway line. We all know why this happened. This was all due to racial demographics. If the metro was implemented as designed Baltimore would be a world class city competing head to head with DC, Philly, and New York. For over 2 decades Baltimore was a transit epicenter far bypassing DC. It had the Howard Street Tunnel opened by the B&O railroad with a transportation hub at Camden Yards with an underground platform connecting it to the WB&A Railroad that went to Annapolis. This alignment is currently still in use for the Light Rail up until Cromwell station (Glen Burnie) then becomes a rail trail B&A Bike trail. It would be perfect if MTA could extend service back to Annapolis as the infrastructure is still in place and the telegraph poles. The Baltimore Belt Line owned by the B&O made a circle around Baltimore’s downtown to avoid using Passenger Rail on city streets due to an ordinance. The Belt line which Included the Howard street Tunnel through the city to serve Mt. Royal Station and Penn Station where it interchanged with the Northern Central Railroad with access to York Pennsylvania and the Western maryland Railroad with service to Cumberland and West Virginia and continued north to New York City by way of Jersey City ferry to the Hudson Terminal. Baltimore Belt Line continued in a series of tunnels and then connected back to the Philadelphia Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad who at the time were in serous competition with the B&O over rights to use trackage. Howard Street tunnel is still in use today for CSX and runs directly underneath the Light Rail on Howard Street. I always wished that they utilized that tunnel for light rail and add a second tube for light rail so Howard Street would be disrupted and be In such disrepair it would have allowed for a direct connection with Lexington Market Metro as well as Charles Center Metro. With the red line coming back into the works I truly hope they add a second tunnel to the already existing tunnel for the metro like the Market Frankford line in Philly with the subway surface trolley routes next to the subway tunnels in there own right of way but sharing tubes. This would save a ton of money and would only need the tunnel to be bored at the end of “Highway To Nowhere route U.S. 40. The highway was built to accommodate a metro in the median so hopefully it goes as planned. With the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel for Amtrak and CSX, MTA should utilize the old Baltimore and Potomac tunnel refurbish it and use it as a potential new metro line to Penn Station or divert freight from Howard street tunnel to the new tunnel and use the Howard Street Tunnel for light rail only. There is currently a North-South Corridor Study on MDOT MTA website for a mass transit line to connect Downtown Towson with Downtown Baltimore with direct connection to Penn Station and the metro at Charles center. There 3 proposals two of them with tunnels and running along Greenmount ave for the most part and Downtown. The other proposals have tunnels as well through Dowmtown Towson but would avoid Greenmount ave and use Charles street in a tunnel to continue south to downtown. Both proposals would have a start connection with the present light rail in Timomium and one to Port Covington (Under Armours New Headquarters and new city neighborhood Baltimore peninsula). With this proposal we can finally get rid of the Light Rail on Howard street as it has destroyed that once famous street known for its hustle and bustle and retail and now every building is boarded up If it wasn’t for the New CFG Bank Arena Howard Street would be at its lowest point.

[@29downtheline]

I like the idea of rerouting rail traffic through other tunnels to free up space for transit! I didn’t know the idea of a(nother) north-south line was being tossed around, but a Baltimore-Towson link would be nice. Also, I would think that the light rail would have contributed to bringing more people along Howard Street since people would be taking transit and walking instead of just driving by without stopping. You think the light rail has made Howard Street worse? If so, I’m legitimately curious why, since I’m not from Baltimore so I really don’t know much of the history of the areas around downtown.

[@MirzaAhmed89]

Music is too loud.

[@29downtheline]

Good to know! I appreciate the feedback! Mixing in the audio hasn’t been the easiest process, and the music seems to play at different strengths on different devices for some reason. I’ll keep that in mind for the future!

[@nomercynodragonforyou9688]

Disagree

[@bashwalker7985]

It’s mind boggling that Baltimore the first city to ever have passenger rail service in the United States from the B&O Main line and Northern Central Railway only has one subway line. We all know why this happened. This was all due to racial demographics. If the metro was implemented as designed Baltimore would be a world class city competing head to head with DC, Philly, and New York. For over 2 decades Baltimore was a transit epicenter far bypassing DC. It had the Howard Street Tunnel opened by the B&O railroad with a transportation hub at Camden Yards with an underground platform connecting it to the WB&A Railroad that went to Annapolis. This alignment is currently still in use for the Light Rail up until Cromwell station (Glen Burnie) then becomes a rail trail B&A Bike trail. It would be perfect if MTA could extend service back to Annapolis as the infrastructure is still in place and the telegraph poles. The Baltimore Belt Line owned by the B&O made a circle around Baltimore’s downtown to avoid using Passenger Rail on city streets due to an ordinance. The Belt line which Included the Howard street Tunnel through the city to serve Mt. Royal Station and Penn Station where it interchanged with the Northern Central Railroad with access to York Pennsylvania and the Western maryland Railroad with service to Cumberland and West Virginia and continued north to New York City by way of Jersey City ferry to the Hudson Terminal. Baltimore Belt Line continued in a series of tunnels and then connected back to the Philadelphia Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad who at the time were in serous competition with the B&O over rights to use trackage. Howard Street tunnel is still in use today for CSX and runs directly underneath the Light Rail on Howard Street. I always wished that they utilized that tunnel for light rail and add a second tube for light rail so Howard Street would be disrupted and be In such disrepair it would have allowed for a direct connection with Lexington Market Metro as well as Charles Center Metro. With the red line coming back into the works I truly hope they add a second tunnel to the already existing tunnel for the metro like the Market Frankford line in Philly with the subway surface trolley routes next to the subway tunnels in there own right of way but sharing tubes. This would save a ton of money and would only need the tunnel to be bored at the end of “Highway To Nowhere route U.S. 40. The highway was built to accommodate a metro in the median so hopefully it goes as planned. With the new Frederick Douglass Tunnel for Amtrak and CSX, MTA should utilize the old Baltimore and Potomac tunnel refurbish it and use it as a potential new metro line to Penn Station or divert freight from Howard street tunnel to the new tunnel and use the Howard Street Tunnel for light rail only. There is currently a North-South Corridor Study on MDOT MTA website for a mass transit line to connect Downtown Towson with Downtown Baltimore with direct connection to Penn Station and the metro at Charles center. There 3 proposals two of them with tunnels and running along Greenmount ave for the most part and Downtown. The other proposals have tunnels as well through Dowmtown Towson but would avoid Greenmount ave and use Charles street in a tunnel to continue south to downtown. Both proposals would have a start connection with the present light rail in Timomium and one to Port Covington (Under Armours New Headquarters and new city neighborhood Baltimore peninsula). With this proposal we can finally get rid of the Light Rail on Howard street as it has destroyed that once famous street known for its hustle and bustle and retail and now every building is boarded up If it wasn’t for the New CFG Bank Arena Howard Street would be at its lowest point.