The light rail line connecting Timonium with Glen Burnie was stopped in downtown Baltimore yesterday after a block of concrete fell from an old Howard Street department store onto the sidewalk near the rail, Mass Transit Administration officials said.
Trains were halted at the Lexington Market stop between 11:25 a.m. and 2:25 p.m. after a piece of the former Stewart & Co. store building fell.
Officials said they wanted to make sure there was not more structural damage that could affect the nearby rail line.
Passengers were transported on Mass Transit Administration buses.
Trains were not expected to use the northbound Lexington Market stop during rush hour today, MTA spokeswoman Teresa Blythe said.
Work in the area is expected to prevent the MTA from using the bus stop in the 400 block of N. Howard St. through at least this morning.
Members of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, an 11-year-old organization that works to promote downtown business, recently began exploring ideas for recycling the largely vacant Stewart's building with its owners.
