Here are some other transit options for a sold-out Orioles weekend (2024)

Nearly 46,000 people can fit inside Camden Yards. About 500 can fit into a standard, two-car light rail train. Though not all fans head for the train before and after games, sold-out crowds coming to see the Orioles host the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday through Sunday mean a post-game squeeze could be in play.

This season, fans have reported overcrowded trains with passengers standing in stairwells and vehicles unable to make some stops as the increasingly large crowds let out after the last out.

On one hand, it’s a good problem to have — it’s a sign of success for the red-hot Orioles, and it means more people are ditching downtown traffic jams for a ride on the rails. But it’s also a test for an aging train line — only months removed from the completion of major rehabilitation work — shuttling fans to and from the ballpark that will certainly be filling up more and more as the Birds make another run at the postseason.

A spokesperson for the Maryland Transit Administration, the state agency that operates light rail, buses and other public transit in Baltimore, said that the light rail is running at full service. After a two-week shutdown of the train line last December caused by botched contractor work, the agency has all 52 light rail vehicles at its disposal, save a couple here and there that may be out for routine maintenance work.

The MTA has historically put more vehicles into service during the post-game Orioles and Ravens rushes. But they also have to maintain regular service for commuters at those times and they only have so many vehicles, the agency said.

If you are coming into the city for the game and are worried about the crowd, here are a couple of other public transit options to consider:

1. Express buses at light rail station

Express buses will run directly between Camden Station and the Timonium light rail stop, as well as Camden Station and Glen Burnie/Cromwell, up to an hour after the games’ end this weekend. So if you are used to the light rail park-and-ride and don’t want to change your pre- and post-game commute, you can catch a bus in these same spots you can catch a train.

2. Baltimore’s Metro

Baltimore’s best-kept transit secret is the light rail’s older cousin — the heavy rail metro that runs between downtown and Owings Mills. Free parking is available at all metro stations between Owings Mills and Mondawmin, and Camden Yards is about a 15- or 20-minute walk from the downtown Charles Center stop.

If you are used to leaving your car at the Lutherville light rail stop, try taking Interstate 695 over to the Old Court Station instead and catching Baltimore’s lone subway line.

3. East-west bus routes

QuickLink 40 runs limited-stop service that can get you from the western or eastern side of the city-county line to the Fayette Street/Eutaw Street stop, about a 10-minute walk to the ballpark.

That semi-express bus stops running by about 6 p.m., though, so you’ll need to take the CityLink Blue or Orange for the post-game trip. All three stop at the West Baltimore MARC station, which has plenty of parking. The Blue can get you to and from Security Square, and the Orange reaches out to Essex. Download the mobile Transit app to help you figure out the best place to jump on and off.

Daniel Zawodny covers transportation for the The Baltimore Banner as a corps member with Report For America. He is a Baltimore area native and graduated with his master's degree in journalism from American University in 2021. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and previously covered immigration issues.

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