Baltimore's Subway & Light Rail Network Evolution

From its beginning in 1983, Baltimore's metro subway and light rail network has grown to over 47 stations, spanning 45 miles (73 kilometres). This animated video takes you through the timeline of when new stations were opened, forming the MTA rail network that we know today.
🚧 Full construction timeline: drive.google.com/file/d/1Ojd8...
Credit: Rodney Chan. Twitter: @_ChanFace ( / _chanface )
🐦 Ask us questions on Twitter: / vanishingunder
☑️ Video Criteria:
- Population given is the sum of all counties and independent cities with stations in them.
- Future extensions are shown only if a construction tender has been awarded for their completion, at the time of video publication. If a construction tender has been issued for a project not included in the video, feel free to leave a comment, and we'll add it to our list to update.
- If you find an error, feel free to let us know in the comments. Please include links to any sources that will help us correct the error. Note: comments with links might take up to 24 hours to appear due to KZread anti-spam policies.
📸 Image Credits:
- David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20120729 93 MTA Light Rail @ Baltimore Penn Station-2, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20000304 17 MTA LRT Baltimore, Maryland, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Taber Andrew Bain from Richmond, VA, USA - Centre Street Light Rail Stop, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20151012 12 MTA Light Rail, Camden Yards,, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA - 20030626 08 MTA BWI Airport, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
🖼 Thumbnail designed by jacobestrella.com​/
🚋 #MTA
Baltimore Metro SubwayLink
Baltimore Light RailLink

Пікірлер: 114

  • @VanishingUnderground
    @VanishingUnderground3 жыл бұрын

    Construction timeline, courtesy of Rodney Chan (twitter.com/_ChanFace): drive.google.com/file/d/1Ojd8AuiTj1zgngXkEmAEOlzOwIma6igi/view?usp=sharing

  • @patrick1403
    @patrick14033 жыл бұрын

    Someday, hopefully, they’ll develop the Red Line and even the Yellow Line! Baltimore needs more transit

  • @Ghostrider6A

    @Ghostrider6A

    Жыл бұрын

    Red Line discussions will restart this week.

  • @jg-7780
    @jg-77802 жыл бұрын

    One thing worth mentioning that wasn't is that the light rail was initially largely single tracked, with 17 min headways. In the early 2000s, the vast majority of the system received double tracking.

  • @qolspony

    @qolspony

    2 жыл бұрын

    Yep! I remember my sister telling me this in 2002/3.

  • @Eli-ss9gj

    @Eli-ss9gj

    Жыл бұрын

    Yep! I remember as a kid in the mid 2000s when they undertook the double tracking effort

  • @SandBoxJohn
    @SandBoxJohn3 жыл бұрын

    The Baltimore Subway is part of a truncated system that was originally planed to to be a 5 line 71 mile 63 station system with the existing Green line going to the northeast and a east west trunk with with branches to Essex and Sparrows Point. The light rail line was built in place the north south subway line

  • @kenmills4739

    @kenmills4739

    3 жыл бұрын

    @ Sand Box John: I definitely remember reading up about this (complete with a map which was a turn-on): originally planned in the mid 1960s, it was truncated by the next decade-as usual the politricks, NIMBYism, and some other financial excuse-until finally becoming what it is today from the 1980s to present, nothing's really changed despite renaming stations, should/would/could have's, transit fan 'what if'' fantasy maps, reality LRTransit fruition. . . .this is all over nationally where located, need I explain/say more? and I love/support public transportation too? Baltimore's Metro shares the same style car rosters as Miami's Metrorail (also 1980s) and Los Angeles's MTA (bits-n-pieces 1990s-current: the latter has smoother edges)-very unique.

  • @SandBoxJohn

    @SandBoxJohn

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@kenmills4739 Another reason why it was truncated is because then Mayor William Donald Schaefer had stronger desire for streetcars and pushed for the central light rail over the subway. There was even talk of the connecting the Washington and Baltimore systems to each other. I would have been a cross platform transfer as the two systems had incompatible cab signaling and load gauges. Unlike Miami and Los Angeles the Baltimore subway has platforms only long enough for 6 car trains, Miami and Los Angeles along with Washington can run 8 car trains.

  • @kenmills4739

    @kenmills4739

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@SandBoxJohn There's a map that sports washington and Baltimore being stitched together along with the commuter rail systems- that would have been something, and we all know both systems aren't compatible because they're a decade apart, although the track gauging can get away with it. . .this was anticipated for The Broad Street Subway where there were plans to hook it with railroad branch lines at various locations (because the terminology 'High Speed' was used at the time of the Mid City Railroad Tunnel construction, this was the impression I got when the airport extension was part of the plan: saw the commuter train service finally and physically in 1/90 and 1•2/96).

  • @CaseysTrains
    @CaseysTrains3 жыл бұрын

    You completely forgot to mention in the rebranding That Light Rail is now known as The Light RailLink and the Metro SubwayLink (this is important because the entire system now goes by the Link branding.)

  • @LeroyBright

    @LeroyBright

    2 жыл бұрын

    Gov. Larry Hogan's doings!

  • @markmartindale7215

    @markmartindale7215

    Жыл бұрын

    @@LeroyBright Right after killing the shovel-ready Red Line and diverting funds to add more lanes to the region's highways thus creating more congestion due to induced demand. The Hogan administration was then the focus of a federal investigation until the Trump administration halted the investigation. Rather than doing anything to improve transit for Baltimore, Hogan simply rebranded the system changing route numbers to pretty colors!

  • @CABOOSEBOB
    @CABOOSEBOB2 жыл бұрын

    Baltimore needs so much more

  • @jaydotl1311
    @jaydotl13113 жыл бұрын

    I think Baltimore is looking for a completely new line (which is why the East-West Red Line failed), when they should just focus on incremental extensions like the DC metro did. 3 of DC's lines (Orange, Blue, Silver) run in the same tunnel downtown, which each then splitting off outside of the city. Baltimore could create a new metro line starting at West Baltimore MARC (with flexibility to expand westward in the future), connection to the green line at/just north of Lexington Market, then onward to Johns Hopkins. Easily increase ridership with just that short extension. Another easy fix would be to extend the Green line to North Ave (possibly with connections to a new East Baltimore Marc station on Broadway), then a new light rail connection from North Ave/Broadway metro station to the North Ave light rail station (and somehow slither over to Penn Station). Then, the Yellow line would go from Hunt Valley to North Ave/Broadway Metro, the Red line from Penn to Cromwell/Glen Burnie, and the Blue line remains the same.

  • @WillGallagher1
    @WillGallagher13 жыл бұрын

    The current light rail is too slow for this region and most of the stations north of Penn Station (perhaps with the exception of Mt. Washington) don't stop in convenient locations. Baltimore suffers from heavy commuter traffic at peak hours but the commute time in a car still ends up being too similar to the amount of time it takes on the light rail. If we really want to commit to getting people out of cars and encouraging a more connected and walkable city we need more heavy rail. There is a lot of old rich people with a "not in my neighborhood" mentality towards public transit and governor who vetos projects that aren't bus related. Baltimore could easily become a huge economic powerhouse considering the convenient proximity to D.C./politics plus the presence of one of America's largest ports. Commitment to transit improvements would help accelerate this. Hoping the Northeast Maglev project helps further solify this connection between DC and re-ignite a commitment to better transit in and around Baltimore itself.

  • @MJofLakelandX

    @MJofLakelandX

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's been an everlasting problem for as long as I've been alive. This region lacks consistency and progression when mass transit is brought to discussion. Almost like they're afraid to mention busses & trains without sounding like "poverish" individuals.

  • @andrewskigordon4941

    @andrewskigordon4941

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Entertainment Tv I would love to see tgat

  • @sandal_thong8631

    @sandal_thong8631

    2 жыл бұрын

    I saw the light rail when I was in Hunt Valley, and man did that look slow. Clearly it's just for poor folks. Retired well-to-do people no doubt had a 401k heavily invested in fossil fuels, so don't want the money train to stop.

  • @RunawayTrain2502
    @RunawayTrain25022 жыл бұрын

    This system was my first ever exposure to US public transit. The tram never showed at the airport up and we had to take a taxi. 10/10 would use taxi again.

  • @dangelohartley5977
    @dangelohartley59773 жыл бұрын

    Do y'all think Baltimore's Subway system should be extended further northeast within Baltimore? Edit: Autocorrect decided to put "Northwest" instead of Northeast.

  • @Fart671

    @Fart671

    3 жыл бұрын

    yes most definitely there was a proposal a few years ago to extend it from johns hopkins to north ave but it failed again

  • @dangelohartley5977

    @dangelohartley5977

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Fart671 Due to funding?

  • @Fart671

    @Fart671

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@dangelohartley5977 yes and the horrible governor of maryland who vetos transit projects like no tommrow, look up baltimore metro plan 2002

  • @dangelohartley5977

    @dangelohartley5977

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@Fart671 I bet this governor is a republican, and that's really petty vetoing transit projects meant for improving public transportation

  • @Fart671

    @Fart671

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@dangelohartley5977 he def is, he has vetoed toooo many transit projects and made the process horrible, the purple line, marc train expansion into nova and septa connection, the red line and the Baltimore metro expansion

  • @lanespyksma8402
    @lanespyksma84023 жыл бұрын

    I think Denver would be a really cool feature!

  • @SpaceboyYT

    @SpaceboyYT

    3 жыл бұрын

    Here’s the link for that: kzread.info/dash/bejne/i2R_sKqDidTHk84.html

  • @nathanhasegawa7315
    @nathanhasegawa73153 жыл бұрын

    Can you do San Francisco's BART please?

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    That disaster?

  • @SparenofIria
    @SparenofIria3 жыл бұрын

    Excellent job! The recent station renaming was, put bluntly, a mess (the MTA was *very* inconsistent), so I'm glad to see that having been explained cleanly in your video.

  • @officialalonzo263
    @officialalonzo2633 жыл бұрын

    I was told that you can use WMATA’s SmarTrip card for the Baltimore MTA

  • @CrispyMD

    @CrispyMD

    3 жыл бұрын

    You can Baltimores charm card can also be used on wmata they are backwards compatible with each other

  • @azan-183

    @azan-183

    3 жыл бұрын

    the SmarTrip card and Charm card can be interchangeable between the systems for tapping in and out, but for some weird reason, you can't use the other's fare machines.

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    You can

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@azan-183 not anymore smartrip works on all of em

  • @azan-183

    @azan-183

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@qjtvaddict everyone says you can tap in and out, but you still can’t refill the cards from the other system’s fare machines.

  • @uru86
    @uru863 жыл бұрын

    Looking forward to your DC metro video

  • @TrainsFerriesFeet
    @TrainsFerriesFeet3 жыл бұрын

    What a great channel.

  • @adventureswithcarl123
    @adventureswithcarl1232 жыл бұрын

    Service from Baltimore airport to downtown needs to be improved in my opinion

  • @rockvilleraven
    @rockvilleraven3 жыл бұрын

    You can pay for the light rail or Metro with your Washington Metrorail Smart Card, its the same thing at the MTA's Charm Card.

  • @MIKEJ788

    @MIKEJ788

    2 жыл бұрын

    Is there a MTA LRT Line from Baltimore to ANNAPOLIS?? Jus Curious!

  • @rockvilleraven

    @rockvilleraven

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@MIKEJ788 Nope

  • @davidpanton3192
    @davidpanton31923 жыл бұрын

    It's surely unusual for a line to be extended off-peak; usually they are extended at peaks!

  • @DannyManny98
    @DannyManny983 жыл бұрын

    I feel very sad for Charm City decreasing not only by ridership, but also by population.

  • @marcelmoulin3335
    @marcelmoulin33353 жыл бұрын

    Impeccably presented! Are there plans to create new lines... expand the system?

  • @tylerkochman1007

    @tylerkochman1007

    2 жыл бұрын

    There were plans for a new line. But the governor killed them

  • @marcelmoulin3335

    @marcelmoulin3335

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@tylerkochman1007 Very short-sighted!

  • @sandal_thong8631

    @sandal_thong8631

    2 жыл бұрын

    For some reason MD is a blue state that often elects a Republican governor. 💩 for 🧠🧠

  • @edwardmiessner6502
    @edwardmiessner65023 жыл бұрын

    When are you going to do the MBTA in Boston?

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    3 жыл бұрын

    Aiming for end of May

  • @HarpyCZOFFICIAL
    @HarpyCZOFFICIAL3 жыл бұрын

    Can i ask what is the program where you are creating your videos?

  • @GeeTransit
    @GeeTransit3 жыл бұрын

    almost 5k subs :D

  • @jakealden2517
    @jakealden2517 Жыл бұрын

    For those wondering why the city didn't have any metro system until 1983, even though the city had more than 1 million residents in the 20th century, remember that the city had an expansive trolley system for many years that negated the need for a subway.

  • @TheBurlingtonTransitFan
    @TheBurlingtonTransitFan3 жыл бұрын

    5k SUBS! Let's go!

  • @brianoakey4630
    @brianoakey46302 жыл бұрын

    The body of water in your map is not the Chesapeake Bay. It's the upper branch of the Patapsco River.

  • @chineselemonkitty717
    @chineselemonkitty7173 жыл бұрын

    I can’t wait to see dc

  • @prestonval4439
    @prestonval44392 жыл бұрын

    Compare and contrast connectivity of the DFW consolidated metro are to the Baltimore -Washington consolidated metro area the San Francisco- Oakland -San Jose consolidated metro areas.

  • @patrick97764
    @patrick977643 жыл бұрын

    so when is the New York episode going to happen ?

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    3 жыл бұрын

    If I do it, it’s going to be the last US city I do. MetroLiner did a good overview in the meantime though.

  • @brainwells6634
    @brainwells66343 жыл бұрын

    When are you going to do Chicago EL or L and Chicago Commuter rail Metra

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    3 жыл бұрын

    Because of the size of both of those networks and the amount of research the videos will require, they’re near the bottom of my list and will probably be done this fall.

  • @dangelohartley5977

    @dangelohartley5977

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@VanishingUnderground CTA will be a little difficult with the numerous changes made over the years. Take your time doing research.👍

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    🥰

  • @stitchstudios2404
    @stitchstudios24042 жыл бұрын

    Can you do MARC im wondering

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    2 жыл бұрын

    Already did: kzread.info/dash/bejne/X4uk2tKvo7mXYdo.html

  • @kiankier7330
    @kiankier73303 жыл бұрын

    are you going to do any city in Europa?

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    That is too extensive those systems actually do their job well

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    3 жыл бұрын

    Most likely not… I’m not nearly as familiar with the systems there. I’ll consider it once I’ve finished all the US systems though.

  • @kiankier7330

    @kiankier7330

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@qjtvaddict I am not sure about that

  • @kiankier7330

    @kiankier7330

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@VanishingUnderground okay. If you want an easy starter city, the best bet is Aarhus, Copenhagen and Helsinki

  • @lilwill06
    @lilwill063 жыл бұрын

    Still waiting for Philly

  • @TheCloakedTiger
    @TheCloakedTiger3 жыл бұрын

    You should do the SF Bay Area next!

  • @iancypes5911

    @iancypes5911

    3 жыл бұрын

    SF Bay is an absolutely disgusting clusterfuck of transit agencies. There's at least 5 different rail transit providers

  • @qjtvaddict

    @qjtvaddict

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@iancypes5911 it’s a disaster zone of failure

  • @marcelmoulin3335

    @marcelmoulin3335

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@iancypes5911 Are there plans to create a cohesive, coherent system with all these disparate agencies?

  • @iancypes5911

    @iancypes5911

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@marcelmoulin3335 There is some shared infrastructure either used by multiple agencies or built by an agency for another agency. But there's no plan yet for a single Bay Area Transit agency, although BART and CalTrains are discussing a merger

  • @marcelmoulin3335

    @marcelmoulin3335

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@iancypes5911 Thank you for your response. Albeit a Dutchman living again in the Netherlands, I grew up in Palo Alto. I recall all too well how inadequate the mass transit was. Nevertheless, the improvements over the years since have encouraged me. What needs to be done?

  • @secretagentcat
    @secretagentcat9 ай бұрын

    until light rail is moved underground or has full right away it will be just as slow.

  • @shade0762
    @shade07623 жыл бұрын

    Do Philadelphia please

  • @amiranore1707
    @amiranore17073 жыл бұрын

    Dallas !

  • @nomadMik
    @nomadMik3 жыл бұрын

    2:56 'Rooting on the light rail was charged once again'-I've rooted on the light rail in a couple of cities, but we never got caught. 😉

  • @TrainSounds
    @TrainSounds3 жыл бұрын

    Do Philadelphia please?

  • @VanishingUnderground

    @VanishingUnderground

    3 жыл бұрын

    Coming later this fall

  • @klm2639
    @klm26393 жыл бұрын

    Hamsterdam needs to be connected 😂😂

  • @joehank1845
    @joehank18453 жыл бұрын

    5:01 thats not out

  • @joehank1845

    @joehank1845

    3 жыл бұрын

    was that a joke if it is not funny

  • @adammurphy6845

    @adammurphy6845

    3 жыл бұрын

    It says 'coming this later month' at the moment. I think that is for the future, when it is released, then you will be able to click on it to be linked to that video.

  • @joehank1845

    @joehank1845

    3 жыл бұрын

    Got the got that vid before it coming this later month kzread.info/dash/bejne/loWrltlyh8q-k7Q.html

  • @sandal_thong8631
    @sandal_thong86312 жыл бұрын

    I would have liked to see that "walking connections" between the two lines. Sounds bad.

  • @markmartindale7215

    @markmartindale7215

    Жыл бұрын

    You're right. The "walking connections" are bad.

  • @stephenthesportsguy6556
    @stephenthesportsguy65563 жыл бұрын

    baltimore transportation is not good

  • @LeroyBright

    @LeroyBright

    2 жыл бұрын

    It needs to dramatically improve.

  • @joshuafajardo5697
    @joshuafajardo569711 ай бұрын

    🚈🚇🇺🇸