Route 21 (MTA Maryland)

This article is about the former Maryland Transit Administration Route 21 bus. For the currently operating MTA LocalLink route, see LocalLink 21 (BaltimoreLink).

Route 21
Overview
System	Maryland Transit Administration
Garage	Eastern
Status	discontinued
Began service	1938
Ended service	2017
Route
Locale	Baltimore City
Communities served	Sandtown-Winchester Upton
Landmarks served	Johns Hopkins Hospital Sojourner Douglas College
Other routes	1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 27, 30, 35, 36, qb40, qb46, qb47, qb48, 51, 52, 53, 54, 61, 64, 91, 97
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	Every 30 minutes Every 20 minutes (peak)
Weekend frequency	Every 60 minutes
Operates	5:00 am to 1:00 am [1]

Route 21 was a bus route operated by the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore. The line ran from the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station to Fells Point, serving the corridors of Gilmor Street, Preston/Biddle Streets, and Caroline Street, and the communities of Sandtown-Winchester, Mt. Royal, and Butcher's Hill. The bus route was the successor to the 21 Preston Street–Caroline Street and Dolphin Street streetcar lines.

On June 18, 2017, as a part of the BaltimoreLink network redesign, Route 21 was discontinued, and replaced by the CityLink Lime, CityLink Pink, and CityLink Navy routes. ^[2]

History

Route 21 was electrified in 1895 as a streetcar line along Preston and Caroline Streets. In 1938, the line was converted to a rubber tire bus service. ^[3]

In 1957, the line was extended along Carey Street to the current loop at Cumberland and Carey Streets. The line did not have any routing changes until February 8, 2009, when it was extended north to the Mondawmin Metro Subway Station along Pennsylvania Avenue. ^[4]

References

• 1929 Baltimore Streetcar map, provided by Baltimore Streetcar Museum

1. "Maryland Transit Administration" (PDF). mta.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
2. "Route 21 - MTA BaltimoreLink". Archived from the original on 2018-12-13.
3. "Route Listings 1900-2000 {20-29}". Archived from the original on 2002-06-01. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
4. "Title".