MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

Railroad Station, 117 East Liberty St., Oakland, Maryland, October 2014. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

BUS

Bus (MTA): (410) 539-5000
1-866-RIDE-MTA (toll free); 1-866-743-3682 (toll free)
tdd: (410) 539-3497
web: http://mta.maryland.gov/local-bus
http://mta.maryland.gov/commuter-bus

MTA bus. Photo courtesy of Maryland Transit Administration, Dept. of Transportation.

Bus Call-A-Lift (6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.): (410) 682-5438; 1-866-RIDE-MTA (743-3682) (toll free)

Bus-Montgomery County: (240) 777-0311

Bus-Prince George's County: (301) 883-5656

Bus transportation is provided by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and local buses. Statewide, MTA operates commuter buses linking metropolitan areas, funds bus transportation for elderly and disabled persons, and supports local public transportation, funding many counties and small cities. MTA provides 27 privately contracted commuter bus routes from Annapolis, Charlotte Hall, Columbia, Frederick, Hagerstown, Kent Island, La Plata, North Beach, St. Leonard, Silver Spring, and Waldorf to Washington, DC, or to a Metrorail station. MTA also operates over 60 bus routes in the Baltimore area. With suburban service from Annapolis, Bel Air, Columbia, Havre de Grace, Laurel, and White Marsh to downtown Baltimore, 860 buses serve more than 250,000 passengers daily. In winter, MTA Shelter Shuttle transports homeless individuals and families to city-run shelters nightly.

Working in cooperation with private industry, the Baltimore City Charm City Circulator, a free shuttle bus, began service in January 2010. As hybrid diesel-electric vehicles, the shuttles will provide easier transport in downtown Baltimore to City Hall, Fells Point, Harbor East, and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Passengers with disabilities may use regularly scheduled lift-equipped service; Call-A-Lift on bus routes without such scheduled buses; and Mobility, a van and taxi service for those who cannot use MTA buses.

In Montgomery and Prince George's counties, bus transportation is provided by Metrobus (WMATA), the Ride-On service in Montgomery County, and The Bus in Prince George's County.

LIGHT RAIL

Light Rail: (410) 539-5000
1-866-RIDE-MTA (toll free); 1-866-743-3682 (toll free)
tdd: (410) 539-3497
web: http://mta.maryland.gov/light-rail

Begun in 1992, the Light Rail Line of electric-powered trains runs 30 miles through the central corridor of Maryland from Hunt Valley in Baltimore County, through the heart of Baltimore City, past Oriole Park at Camden Yards, to Cromwell Station/Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County. Extensions run to BWI Airport and Baltimore's Penn Station. The entire line takes about one hour and fifteen minutes to travel. The Light Rail links to buses and subways with free parking at many Light Rail stops. The Line is run by Light Rail Operations of the Maryland Transit Administration.

MOTOR VEHICLES

Motor Vehicle Administration

The Motor Vehicle Administration issues motor vehicle certificates of title and registration, and drivers' licenses.

Motor Vehicle Administration, 6601 Ritchie Highway, NE, Glen Burnie, Maryland, October 2002. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

RAILROAD

MARC (rail commuter):

MARC Resource Guide
1-800-325-RAIL (toll free); 1-800-325-7245 (toll free)
web: http://mta.maryland.gov/marc-train

MARC commuter train. Photo courtesy of Maryland Transit Administration, Dept. of Transportation.

The State currently runs three commuter train lines which form the Maryland Rail Commuter Service (MARC), carrying over 20,000 passengers each weekday. Since December 7, 2013, limited weekend service is available on the Penn Line.

Two lines run between Baltimore and Washington, DC: the Camden Line and the Penn Line. One line links Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Brunswick, Maryland, to Washington, DC. The service extends to Frederick from Point of Rocks on the Brunswick line. Service also runs north of Baltimore on the northeast corridor into Harford and southern Cecil counties with routes ending at Perryville. Fares range from $5 to $13 one way, depending on distance traveled.

The MTA contracts out operations for three freight lines on the Eastern Shore and two through Frederick and Carroll counties, covering over 150 miles. Additional service is provided for passengers by Amtrak and for freight by CSX Transportation and Conrail.

Of historical note, the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad Company was chartered by the General Assembly in 1827 to construct a transportation link to the west, establishing the nation's first long-distance railway.

Penn Railroad Station, 1515 North Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland, July 2009. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

SUBWAY

Baltimore Metro: (410) 539-5000
1-866-RIDE-MTA (toll free); 1-866-743-3682 (toll free)
tdd: (410) 539-3497
web: http://mta.maryland.gov/metro-subway

Washington Metrorail: (202) 637-7000

Baltimore Metro train. Photo courtesy of Maryland Transit Administration, Dept. of Transportation.

Subways operate in the Baltimore and Washington, DC, areas. They are provided by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The MTA's Baltimore Metro has 14 stations. It runs 15.5 miles from Owings Mills to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, carrying an average of 49,000 passengers daily. Fares range from $1.70 for a one-way trip to $4 for unlimited rides on an all-day pass. Tickets may be purchased at vending machines in the stations, or on-line at https://mta.maryland.gov/pass-store.

Commuters traveling through the Maryland suburbs, Washington, DC, and Virginia, use the Washington Metrorail, operated by the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority and partly funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

• Washington Metrorail - Map (Washington metropolitan area)

The Washington Metrorail has 5 lines, 83 stations, and 103 miles of track. Two Maryland counties - Montgomery and Prince George's - are in its transit zone. For fare information, see: www.wmata.com/fares/metrorail.cfm

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