Route 7 (MTA Maryland)
| Company type | Bus route |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Fate | Segmented into CityLink Lime, LocalLink 65, and LocalLink 73 |
| Headquarters | Baltimore , United States |
Area served | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Owner | Maryland Transit Administration |
Route 7 was a bus route managed by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore from 1959 until 2017. It operated between Canton, Baltimore and the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station, serving neighborhoods such as Butcher's Hill, Little Italy, and Sandtown-Winchester.
History
Route 7 originated as the successor to the 18 Canton, 18 Pennsylvania Avenue, and Hudson Street streetcar lines; notably, the Pennsylvania Avenue Line was the city’s second streetcar route. Between 1893 and 1931, the Route 7 number identified a streetcar running between Govanstown and Irvington as a short-turn service of the No. 8 Streetcar. The current Route 7 designation was established in 1959 following its merger with the Reisterstown Road bus line.
The Baltimore City Passenger Railway inaugurated a line on August 24, 1859, traversing Baltimore Street, Greene Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Cumberland Street up to Boundary Avenue (present-day North Avenue). This route extended via North Avenue, McCulloh Street, and Cloverdale Road to Madison Avenue and was through-routed to Canton along Baltimore Street and Broadway, known as the Green Line. Electrification occurred in 1894, with the line receiving the number Route 18 in 1899.
Bus Route L began service along Reisterstown Road to Pikesville on July 3, 1929. On June 27, 1948, it combined with Route 5 as Route 5/7, extending some trips downtown via Druid Hill Avenue. The transition from streetcars to buses for Route 18 took place on June 8, 1952; subsequently, on September 6, 1959, it was integrated into Route 7, which shifted its alignment from Druid Hill Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue.
After the launch of the Metro Subway, Route 7 was shortened on June 18, 1984 to terminate at Mondawmin station during subway operating hours. A new service—Route M-2—covered Reisterstown Road beyond Mondawmin to Old Court Road in Pikesville and extended further to Old Court Metro Station in 1987. By 2001, Route 7 was permanently truncated to Mondawmin following expanded hours for both the subway and Route M-2.
During the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative in 2005, MTA proposed discontinuing Route 7 and redirecting passengers to alternative routes; public resistance prevented this change. Subsequent phases of GBBI considered reducing frequency or modifying routing for Route 7 but ultimately left it unchanged.
On June 18, 2017, amid the BaltimoreLink system overhaul, Route 7 was segmented into several lines: CityLink Lime took over the northern portion along Pennsylvania Avenue; LocalLink 65 operated between Pratt and Lombard Streets to Canton; while LocalLink 73 covered the southern segment of Pennsylvania Avenue reaching Paca and Greene Streets.
Rosewood service
From 1970 through 2000, a specialized no. 7 (or 7X) service catered to employees of the Rosewood Center in Owings Mills, succeeding the experimental Route H initiated in 1969. This service overlapped parts of regular Route 7 with limited-stop sections, justifying its express classification.
In 1997, Route M-17 was introduced to replace special branches of Routes M-9 and M-16. Initially excluding Rosewood service, it connected the Business Center at Owings Mills with the Owings Mills Corporate Campus. After public opposition to eliminating all but Sunday service on the Rosewood branch of Route 7, Route M-17 was adjusted in 1998 to include Rosewood along with stops at the T. Rowe Price campus in Owings Mills and the ADP facility on Red Run Boulevard, supporting growing office developments. Midday trips to Red Run were briefly available in 1999 but discontinued due to insufficient ridership.
In 2001, the Rosewood branch formerly known as no. 7 was redesignated as Route 102 and rerouted to serve the Owings Mills Metro Subway Station, a change that generated some controversy.
As part of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative in 2005, Route 102 was eliminated due to low patronage and concerns over cost-effectiveness. To offset this loss for riders, additional trips were added to Route M-17 including late-night and weekend services; however, low-demand segments serving Owings Mills Corporate Campus and T. Rowe Price were cut.
Following the closure of Rosewood on August 30, 2009, Route M-17 was discontinued entirely; its Red Run corridor was taken over by Route 59. No replacement transit service was provided north of Reisterstown Road thereafter.
In popular culture
- The number 7 bus features in DeWayne Wickham's novel Woodholme, where the storyline includes a driver pursuing a no. 7 bus along Reisterstown Road.
External links
- Route 7 timetable and map, valid as of February 7, 2010