No. 17 Line

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This article describes a bus line of the Maryland Transit Administration. Information provided here is derived from old schedules, local media, and other archived resources.

The no. 17 line is a bus line operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland. It currently operates from the Patapsco Light Rail Stop to Parkway Center in Anne Arundel County, via BWI Airport and Arundel Mills. Weekend trips on this line terminate at Arundel Mills.

1 History
2 Opening of Central Light Rail
3 Combining with no. 12 line and cuts
4 Service to Arundel Mills
5 Threat of total elimination
6 External Links

[edit] History

The no. 17 line is one of the most changed lines in MTA History from its original route. Only three of the 27 miles of its initial route are still in place today. The line has seen a very fragile existence, facing a lot of budget cuts that have resulted in its route and schedule being reduced, and a near threat of elimination.

The no. 17 line started operating in 1973 between downtown Baltimore and Gibson Island. Back in those days, it served the Annapolis Road/Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard and Mountain Road corridors, mostly of Anne Arundel County. It passed through the towns of Linthicum, Glen Burnie, and Pasadena.

The route was shortened during the 1980s from Gibson Island to Lake Shore Plaza. Gibson Island became a private island, and the causeway leading there closed to the public, and ridership demand in this area was very low. Also, trips at certain times of day terminated at Pinewood Village in the Harundale area.

[edit] Opening of Central Light Rail

When the Central Light Rail line was opened in South Baltimore and Anne Arundel County, the no. 17 line underwent a series of changes in various phases.

In June 1992, the line was converted into a feeder bus into the light rail. The line's route was shortened to the Patapsco Light Rail Stop, and the portion going to downtown Baltimore was eliminated. In addition, Sunday service was eliminated.

In January 1993, the line faced budget cuts. On weekdays, midday service between 9 AM and 2 PM, which had very low ridership was eliminated. Saturday service was routed to Pinewood Village rather than Lake Shore Plaza.

In September 1993, when the final stretch of the light rail opened, midday service was restored, as the line underwent even more changes. The line was modified to serve BWI Airport and the BWI business area and hotel district. A portion of the route along Hammonds Ferry Road in Linthicum was no longer provided on this line, but was on a new No. 12 Line. Rush hour service operated to Lake Shore Plaza, and midday service only as far as the Cromwell Light Rail Stop.

[edit] Combining with no. 12 line and cuts

In 1996, the no. 17 line faced its biggest cuts ever. All service along the route between BWI Airport and Lake Shore Plaza was eliminated, as MTA would no longer serve most of these communities. Service to Pinewood Village was replaced with a new limited branch on the no. 14 line, and service on Mountain Road was no longer provided. On other parts of Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard, riders were within a close walk of various light rail stops.

The no. 17 line was also combined with the no. 12 line, which at that time, served Parkway Center. The route of the no. 17 line was extended to Parkway Center, thereby providing all this service on a single line.

[edit] Service to Arundel Mills

In 2001, with the opening of Arundel Mills mall in Hanover, Maryland, the no. 17 line was expanded to serve this area. All trips to Parkway Center were routed via Arundel Mills, and all trips terminating at BWI Airport were extended there. In addition, Sunday service was added to serve the mall.

[edit] Threat of total elimination

In 2005, MTA proposed to completely eliminate the no. 17 line, except for trips between downtown Baltimore and BWI Airport when the light rail was not operating. Under this plan, riders between the airport and Arundel Mills would be instructed to use Howard County Transit's Red Express Route, which operates along essentially the same route in that area, and all other riders in Anne Arundel County would lose service.

The plan resulted in a public outcry from riders, businesses along the route, and community activists. One of the major complaints is that many non-English-speaking riders along the route who worked within the BWI hotel district, would lose service and not even know it.

In 2006, MTA revised its plan for the no. 17 line. Under the new routing plan, the line would operate from the Patapsco Light Rail Stop to Arundel Mills, with service provided every 30 minutes during rush hour, and every 90 minutes at other times. Some of the deviations along the route where duplicate service is provided (such as to BWI Amtrak) would be eliminated or modified. Only riders west of Arundel Mills to Parkway Center would lose service.

To this day, the plan is yet to be implemented.