CityLink Navy (BaltimoreLink)
| Company type | Public transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Route 1 bus route |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Parent | Maryland Transit Administration |
CityLink Navy (NV) is a bus route managed by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, introduced in 2017 as a successor to Route 1. It continues the legacy of the former 1 Gilmor Street, 2 Carey Street, and 2 Fort Avenue streetcar lines.
History
On June 25, 1868, the Citizens' Passenger Railway obtained a franchise to construct a transit line stretching from Druid Hill Park to Patterson Park, covering much of what later became known as the No. 1 and 2 streetcar routes. Meanwhile, the People's Passenger Railway developed the Druid Hill Avenue Line along with a route to Fort McHenry via Fort Avenue. These two companies merged in 1888, forming the Baltimore Traction Company. Cable car service commenced on Gilmor Street in 1891, followed by electrification on Carey Street and Fort Avenue in 1893, and on Gilmor Street by 1895. Around this period, the Druid Hill Avenue and Patterson Park lines were consolidated into the No. 0 Line.
By 1894, streetcars on Carey Street and Fort Avenue were operated as a through-route. On June 18, 1897, the Baltimore Traction Company merged with the City and Suburban Railway, creating the Baltimore Consolidated Railway, which incorporated the Guilford Avenue Elevated line. Starting November 1897, Gilmor Street cars began utilizing this elevated structure.
At that time, Route 1 spanned from Druid Hill Park to Greenmount Avenue, following a counter-clockwise circuit through Retreat Street, Francis Street, Fulton Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Cumberland Street, Gilmor Street, Fayette Street, Guilford Avenue, North Avenue, Charles Street, and 25th Street. Route 2 linked Druid Hill Park to Fort McHenry via a similar loop incorporating Carey Street.
Significant modifications included swapping Route 1 with Route 17 on May 12, 1901—shifting its northern path from Charles Street to St. Paul Street beyond North Avenue—and extending it eastward to Greenmount Avenue by May 1903. The southern section was revised in December 1926 to run along Fulton Avenue and Mosher Street. In August 1929, Route 11 was introduced as a branch of Route 1 along the Guilford Avenue Elevated between Druid Hill Park and Bedford Square.
In June 1947, Route 1 was shortened west of downtown Baltimore; concurrently, buses replaced Route 11 service. By May 1948, following the removal of most lines from Baltimore Street, Route 1 was rerouted southward via Sharp Street to substitute for the No. 19 Harford Avenue Line and was converted to trackless trolley operation by August of that year.
Route 2 experienced fewer alterations: it shifted from Fayette to Baltimore Street in August 1918 but reverted to Fayette in May 1948 due to route eliminations on Baltimore Street. Trackless trolleys replaced streetcars on this line starting December 11, 1948.
Both routes remained separate until June 21, 1959, when buses supplanted trackless trolleys on each line. The newly formed Route 1 combined portions of the former Route 1 along Fulton Avenue with segments of old Route 2 running along Carey Street and Cumberland Avenue, continuing downtown toward Fort McHenry; notably, no replacement service covered Sharp Street from the original Route 1.
As a bus line
The no. 1 bus route preserved its connection between Druid Hill Park and Fort McHenry until 1982 when certain weekday trips were extended beyond Druid Hill Park to Sinai Hospital via Greenspring Avenue. By 1993, all midday services had been redirected to serve Sinai Hospital.
In 1998, remaining trips were lengthened further from Druid Hill Park to reach the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station.
During Phase I of the 2005 Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI), there was a proposal to discontinue Route 1’s Greenspring service in favor of a new Route 28 that would cover Reservoir Hill and terminate at the North Avenue Light Rail Stop, though this plan was never realized.
Phase II of GBBI advocated for retaining Route 1’s Greenspring service while increasing frequency and adding late-night and weekend operations; it also introduced routing modifications in South Baltimore that came into effect in February 2009.
On June 18, 2017, The BaltimoreLink system overhaul rebranded services into three categories: CityLink for primary all-day routes operating around the clock; LocalLink for neighborhood-focused lines; and Express BusLink providing limited-stop regional connections.
Effective August 27, 2023, the short-turn terminus previously at Dundalk-Center Place was shifted to Bayview Medical Center to coordinate with operations of CityLink Blue.
External links
References
- Baltimore Streetcars, authored by Herbert H. Harwood and Paul W. Wirtz, page 88