LocalLink 95 (BaltimoreLink)
| Company type | Public transit route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Predecessor | Route 61 |
| Founded | 1977 (as Route 61 predecessor) |
Area served | Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Products | Bus service |
| Parent | Maryland Transit Administration |
LocalLink 95 is a bus route managed by the Maryland Transit Administration serving the city of Baltimore. The line extends from the junction of Roland Avenue and Lake Avenue in the Roland Park neighborhood down to the Inner Harbor. Its path includes Roland Avenue, University Parkway, northbound travel on Charles Street, and southbound on St. Paul Street.
This service replaced Route 61 as part of the BaltimoreLink transit system redesign and carries forward the heritage of the 24 Lakeside (Lake Roland) and 29 Boulevard (present-day University Parkway) streetcar lines.
History
From 1977 until its rebranding under BaltimoreLink, Route 61 operated along this corridor. Before that period, various streetcar and bus lines with different numbers served this route.
An earlier incarnation of Route 61 functioned as a downtown parking lot shuttle between 1946 and 1949.
The Baltimore, Hampden and Lake Roland Railroad, which merged into the Lake Roland Elevated Railway in 1892 and was subsequently acquired by the City and Suburban Railway in 1895, reached Lake Roland by 1893. Its initial trajectory ran northward from downtown Baltimore along Guilford Avenue Elevated and several other streets to Lake Roland. In 1895, part of this line was abandoned; the southern section was combined with the Gilmor Street Line, while the northern segment connected to the Huntingdon Line, terminating at a car barn in Roland Park. A Lakeside Line shuttle linked this car barn to Lake Roland, undergoing multiple renumberings before being discontinued in 1950.
The Boulevard Line, designated Route 29, commenced operations in 1908. It ran from downtown northward via Calvert Street and St. Paul Street to Roland Avenue. This streetcar service was replaced by a bus route in 1947, which extended further north to Lake Avenue. In 1959, this bus route was merged into Route 6, which also covered East Monument Street.
On June 14, 1977, Route 6 was divided into four separate routes: Route 61 serving Lake Avenue to downtown; Route 62 covering East Monument Street; and Routes 63 and 64 serving southern neighborhoods (with only Route 64 still active today).
To address low ridership on Route 61—primarily among students—service modifications included trips to Mount Washington Light Rail Stop between 1992 and 1995; these were discontinued due to insufficient demand. Weekend service ended in 1993; a private company briefly took over operations before ceasing service.
In 2005, during the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI), MTA proposed eliminating Route 61. Although other routes continued to serve St. Paul Street, no alternative was planned for Roland Avenue. This proposal encountered strong public opposition.
In response, MTA revised its plans in 2006 to discontinue Route 61 but retain peak-hour service through a new branch of Route 11. This plan experienced multiple delays; GBBI was canceled in 2007 but the proposal reemerged later that year.
By February 2008, MTA confirmed that Route 61 would remain operational during peak hours only—a status that continues today.
Extension to Mount Washington
On July 5, 2011, the transit network expanded to include the Mount Washington loop, providing passengers with access to the Light Rail as well as routes 27, 58, and 60.