No. 5 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. 5 line is a bus line operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore, Maryland. It currently runs from the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station to Cedonia in Northeast Baltimore. Service is provided about once every 10 minutes during rush hour, every 15 minutes midday, and every 20 minutes on weekends. The line travels through downtown Baltimore past Lexington Market with selected trips serving Johns Hopkins Hospital, and it also passes through the intermediate communities of Reservoir Hill and East Baltimore.
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[edit] History
The no. 5 line streetcar started operating in 1916 using the no. 5 designation, but its route had been covered since 1892 using other numerical designations. When the actual no. 5 line route started, it operated from Emory Grove (near Reisterstown, Maryland), through Pikesville, then down Park Heights Avenue through the Park Heights community and past Pimlico Race Course. Other branches operated down Belvedere Avenue to Gwynn Oak.
The line traveled through Reservoir Hill as it currently does, before continuing downtown. Its route downtown was modified frequently during the coming years. The Reservoir Hill section was later eliminated, but it returned in 1996 when the No. 28 Line bus to that area was discontinued.
In 1921, the line was extended to Patterson Park after being combined with other lines.
In 1932, the route of the no. 5 streetcar was shortened to Pikesville, and service between Pikesville and Reisterstown was provided by buses. The first bus line to provide service to Reisterstown was line M(no relationship to current M-lines along this route), followed by the No. 7 Line. The No. M-9 Line currently operates along Reisterstown Road between Pikesville and Reisterstown.
In 1938, the no. 5 streetcar was shortened again to Manhattan Avenue (currently near the intersection of Park Heights Avenue and Northern Parkway).
In 1948, the streetcar operation of the no. 5 line came to an end, and the service was replaced by buses. A new no. 5/7 bus would operate along its route, and would continue to Glyndon. In 1959, the line would be separated into two separate routes, each with these designations. The no. 5 bus would serve the Park Heights Avenue corridor, and the no. 7 line Reisterstown Road.
In 1973, a new set of branches was added to the line that served the communities of Stevenson, Caves Road, and Greenwood via Villa Julie College.
[edit] The Baltimore Metro
In 1983, in conjunction with the opening of the first phase of the Baltimore Metro Subway, the no. 5 line would be shortened to Mondamwin during Metro's hours of operation. A new No. M-3 Line would operate along Park Heights Avenue to Slade Avenue. The no. 5 line continued to travel to Slade Avenue during hours when Metro was not operating.
In 1996, the no. 5 line was modified to operate via Reservoir Hill, a part of its former route, on weekdays and Saturdays, after the No. 28 Line that served this area was eliminated except on Sundays.
In 2001, when Sunday Metro Connection service was introduced, all no. 5 service to Slade Avenue was discontinued, and Sunday service was routed via Reservoir Hill.
[edit] Plan for Overhaul
In 2005, as part of the Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative, a comprehensive overhaul of the region's bus service, it was proposed that all trips on the no. 5 line would operate via Johns Hopkins Hospital, and service on Preston and Biddle Streets would be discontinued. In addition, the line would no longer serve Reservoir Hill, and a new no. 28 line, with no relationship to the no. 28 line that operated there earlier, would serve this area.
After a large public outcry about many of the changes in the routings of buses, the no. 5 line changes were put on hold.
In 2006, a revised version of the plans for the no. 5 line was announced. At first, the No. 97 Line (Mondawmin Shuttle) was proposed to serve Reservoir Hill, but later, a second branch that would not reach Mondawmin was proposed that would loop at the Lakeview Towers in Reservoir Hill.
To this date, no changes have been made to the no. 5 line.
[edit] External Links
Map and schedule of no. 5 line: [1]
