Route 8 (Baltimore)
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Route 8 is a bus route in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It currently runs from the University Center/Baltimore Street Light Rail station to the Lutherville light rail station, and is operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. It is one of the most heavily used MTA bus lines.[citation needed] The bus route is the successor to the Towson (or York Road) streetcar line.
[edit] History
Route 8 was electrified in 1895 as a streetcar running from Towson to Catonsville. Back then, it served the corridors of York Road, Greenmount Avenue, and Frederick Road through downtown Baltimore. In 1963, the line was converted into a bus operation, retaining this route.
There were also various branches of Route 8 added over the years to communities including Mt. Washington, Cockeysville, Springlake, Eudowood, the Towson State University campus, and Stella Maris nursing home. All these services have since been absorbed by other lines or otherwise abolished.
In 1982, Route 8 was split into two separate lines in order to provide improved schedule adherence on each line and varied frequencies of service along each corridor, where demands for service varied. The new Route 8 ran from the center of Towson to the University of Maryland, and the new Route 2 from Catonsville to City Hall. Service along Route 2 is currently provided by Route 10.
In 1992, in conjunction with the opening of the Central Light Rail line, Route 8 was extended north of Towson to the Lutherville Light Rail Stop on Ridgely Road except on Sundays. This extension mostly overlapped with Route 9, and this duplication of service during off-peak hours was criticized as costly. Branches to the Towson State campus and Stella Maris continued to operate at this time.
In 1993, MTA, addressing the cost issue of the extension, eliminated Route 9 service between Towson and Lutherville during off-peak weekday hours, and improved the frequency of that line's service on other parts of the route. The Lutherville extension on Saturdays was also discontinued, and on weekends, improved levels of this service were provided on Route 9.
In 2000, MTA combined Routes 8 and 9, and extended selected Route 8 trips from Lutherville to Hunt Valley. This constituted about two-thirds of trips at most times. This consolidation saved costs and allowed single-seat service along the York Road corridor at all times, while making the no. 8 line one of the longest routes operated by MTA.
In 2005, as part of a comprehensive overhaul dubbed the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative (GBBI), MTA announced that Routes 8 and 9 would once again be split into two separate lines. This time, all Route 8 trips would operate to Lutherville seven days a week, and Route 9 would provide all service on the route north of Ridgely Road. In addition, all other branches on the line would be eliminated. These included those to Loveton, International Circle (both former branches of Route 9), and Stella Maris. And in order to reduce overcrowding of buses, MTA stated that articulated buses, which have a higher seating capacity, would be used on all Route 8 trips.
The Stella Maris branch was discontinued as a part of Route 8 as planned. But due to public outcry, service to Stella Maris is still provided on a new Route 12 that operates out of the Lutherville Light Rail Stop at the same times these trips were previously provided on the Route 8.
Service is no longer provided to Loveton. But in February 2006, all Route 9 were rerouted to International Circle due to complaints about the elimination of this branch.
