LocalLink 59 is a bus route operated by the

Maryland Transit Administration The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington� ...

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and its suburbs. The line operates hourly (except overnight) between the

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

loop in Northeast Baltimore and Whispering Woods, just east of Bowleys Quarters.

History

Route 59 was formed under the name "Route 24" in 1988 as a split-off from

Route 35 The following highways are numbered 35: The Karakoram Highway (Urdu: شاہراہ قراقرم, ''Śāhirāh-i Qarāquram''), also known as the KKH, National Highway 35 (Urdu: قومی شاہراہ ۳۵), N-35, and the China–Pakistan Friendsh ...

, which previously provided the original route of this service, serving Oliver Beach since 1970, and the Town and Country Apartments in Bowleys Quarters since 1971. The line originated from

Franklin Square Hospital MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, a member of MedStar Health, is a hospital located in the Rosedale area of eastern Baltimore County, Maryland. It is the third largest hospital in Maryland; with more than 3,500 employees, it is one of the ...

and then operated through the parking lot of the now defunct

Golden Ring Mall Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

, then to a stop in Middle River, where buses made a U-turn, and continued east on Eastern Boulevard to Oliver Beach. This terminus was later scaled back to Tidewater Village, the community now identified as Whispering Woods. Service on this line was provided seven days a week, but less than once an hour, even during rush hour. Minor improvements to the line were made in its first 17 years, which included a modification in 1993 to serve the Victory Villa community. But its largest growth came in 2005, when a previously unannounced GBBI change was made, in which steady hourly service was provided, and selected trips were routed via Pulaski Industrial Park. This unplanned change was made to settle various complaints from riders losing service on Route 23. This change was cost-efficient as buses alternated between 4 and 24. In 2006, the layover was moved from Franklin Square Hospital to the CCBC Essex campus to improve exchanges with Route 4 buses. In February 2009, the line was shortened, as Route 4 was modified to serve the Martin Boulevard corridor. But neither line's frequency was changed. On August 31, 2009, selected trips on Route 33 to Essex Park-and-Ride which had operated since 2005 were discontinued, and the line was shortened to the

loop. Route 24 was simultaneously extended to this location to replace this service. In 2017, Route 24 was renamed Route 59 under BaltimoreLink.

References

{{MTA Maryland bus Maryland Transit Administration bus routes 1988 establishments in Maryland