LocalLink 59 (BaltimoreLink)
| Company type | Public agency |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Baltimore and surrounding suburban areas |
| Products | Bus services, including LocalLink 59 |
| Website | mta |
LocalLink 59 is a bus service managed by the Maryland Transit Administration that operates within Baltimore and its surrounding suburban areas. This route provides hourly trips (excluding overnight hours) connecting the Moravia loop located in Northeast Baltimore with Whispering Woods, situated east of Bowleys Quarters.
History
The route now known as 59 was initially launched in 1988 under the designation "Route 24," having branched off from Route 35. Route 35 had been servicing Oliver Beach since 1970 and extended to Bowleys Quarters beginning in 1971. Originally, Route 24 operated from Franklin Square Hospital through the parking area of the former Golden Ring Mall to Middle River, then continued eastward along Eastern Boulevard to Oliver Beach. Eventually, the eastern endpoint was shortened to Tidewater Village—currently called Whispering Woods. The service ran daily with intervals longer than an hour between buses.
Throughout a span of 17 years, several minor route modifications took place, including a 1993 extension to cover the Victory Villa neighborhood. The most notable alteration occurred in 2005 during an unpublicized GBBI update, which established consistent hourly service and rerouted some trips through Pulaski Industrial Park to address passenger concerns following changes to Route 23. This modification proved economical by alternating vehicle assignments between Routes 4 and 24.
In 2006, the layover point was moved from Franklin Square Hospital to the CCBC Essex campus to facilitate better connections with Route 4. By February 2009, the route was truncated as Route 4 began servicing Martin Boulevard; however, bus frequency remained steady.
On August 31, 2009, certain trips on Route 33 heading toward Essex Park-and-Ride were eliminated. To compensate, Route 24 was extended to reach the Moravia loop.
With the implementation of BaltimoreLink in 2017, Route 24 was redesignated as Route 59.