No. M-10 Line
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This article describes a bus line of the Maryland Transit Administration. Information provided here is derived from old schedules and other archived resources.
The no. M-10 line is a bus line operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, Maryland and its northern suburbs. It currently runs from the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station to the Mt. Washington Light Rail Stop (both in Northwest Baltimore). Weekday midday trips continue to Greenspring Station, and rush hour trips continue even farther to Villa Julie College. Service is provided every 30 minutes during rush hour and midday, and hourly at other times. The line serves the intermediate communities of Upper Park Heights, Cheswolde, Fallstaff and Ranchleigh.
[edit] History
The no. M-10 line started operating in 1987 along a different route that also ran from Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station to Greenspring Station, but it did not serve Cheswolde or Mt. Washington. At these times, service was provided every 25 minutes during rush hour, and only once every 75 minutes middays and on Saturdays. Additionally, two daily trips operated to the Intersection of Old Court Road and Greenspring Avenue, then returned via Old Court to Park Heights Avenue. No evening or Sunday service were provided at all.
In 1992, in conjunction with the opening of the Central Light Rail, another MTA line known as the no. M-5 line was combined into the no. M-10 line's service. The no. M-10 line was modified to serve some of M-5's communities. The new route of the no. M-10 line, which originated from the Rogers Avenue Metro Subway Station, was longer, and midday service was provided more often. The line operated every 30 minutes at all times on weekdays, with alternating trips operating to Mt. Washington via Old Pimlico Road, and to Greenspring Station via Smith Avenue and Falls Road (also serving the Mt. Washington Light Rail Stop). Both branches also served the Falls Road Light Rail Stop as well. No weekend service was provided.
In 1997, temporarily for about 8 months, trips travelling to Greenspring Station were detoured via Ruxton while a bridge on Falls Road was repaired. During this time, headways were reduced to 35 minutes. When repairs were completed, the line was restored to its original route and schedule.
In 1998, midday service on this line was reduced to one bus every 45 minutes. The Old Court branch was eliminated. Earlier morning, later evening, and Saturday service at 70-minute intervals were added, and it operated to Mt. Washington via Smith Avenue.
In 2001, Sunday service was added, following the same route and schedule as Saturday service.
In 2005, MTA proposed to overhaul the no. M-10 line by cutting short the line to the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station, and eliminating all service on Old Pimlico and Falls Roads. The line would then operate from Reisterstown Plaza Metro Subway Station to Mt. Washington via Smith Avenue only. Service was proposed to operate every 30 minutes weekdays and hourly on weekends.
The loss of service to Greenspring Station drew a lot of protest from riders and employers. As a result, MTA not only continued to operate the line to Greenspring Station, but doubled the frequency of service to this area to one bus every 30 minutes. Additionally, rush hour trips were extended to Villa Julie College. This was done to counter complaints from students and others about the elimination of the No. M-12 Line to the campus.
[edit] Criticism of Line
The no. M-10 line is one of MTA's worst lines in the system at ridership levels and farebox recovery. It is not uncommon for a trip on this line, even during rush hour, to be operated completely empty. It primarily serves upper-middle class suburban communities and sparsely-developed areas where demand for ridership is extremely low. Total elimination or massive reduction of service without severely impacting existing riders is difficult.
The line also takes a very long route that involves many turns in a seemingly circular direction. A trip between any two points on the no. M-10 line can easily take up to 5 times longer than the same trip in a private automobile.
The no. M-10 line, which has many senior citizens as riders, does not pass any public libraries.
