Routes

The Appalachian Trail is the longest marked path in the world, stretching more than 2,100 miles from Maine to Georgia along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains.Maryland can claim only 38 miles of the AT, from Pen-Mar in Washington County, to its Potomac River crossing at Harpers Ferry -- and all but six of those miles are protected by the National Park Service and the Department of Natural Resources under the Maryland Appalachian Trail Protection Plan.The DNR and the NPS have scheduled a public meeting at the Greenbrier State Park visitors center on Nov. 12 to present several proposed routes for the AT near Route 77 in the Smithsburg area, including those last six miles.

NEW YORK -- UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, announced yesterday that it had agreed to acquire one of the most prized assets in the airline industry, the routes of Pan Am between five U.S. cities and London.The $400 million acquisition pact was a coup for Stephen M. Wolf, chairman of UAL. The all-cash transaction could give United a substantial lead over its competitors, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, in the race to Europe. At the same time it strips Pan Am of the core of its European route system.

On bus route 210, the express bus that runs between Annapolis and Baltimore, state transportation officials are in a Catch 22.The route was introduced in the mid-'80s to serve the burgeoning number of white-collar professionals living in eastern Anne Arundel County and commuting to jobs in Baltimore.By operating bus lines such as the No. 210, the Mass Transit Administration appeals to a white-collar audience that otherwise might never try mass transit.What makes the No. 210 attractive is that it's fast and doesn't make many stops; it moves between downtown and the capital city nearly as quickly as you could by car.Precisely because it doesn't have a lot of stops, however, it serves a limited audience.

Addressing complaints from bus riders and transit advocates, the Maryland Transit Administration said yesterday that it will make significant changes next month to several of the routes it revamped in October. Among the changes is a cutback in the frequency of bus trips on its east-west No. 40 express line, which the MTA introduced as part of the first phase of a comprehensive restructuring of Baltimore regional bus routes. Instead of running every 10 minutes, the No. 40 will be rescheduled to run every 12 minutes at peak times and 15 minutes at midday and on weekends.

A major overhaul of Baltimore's bus lines running south of the city was announced this week by the Mass Transit Administration.State officials said the expansion of Baltimore's light rail system into Anne Arundel County has necessitated the changes. Three bus routes would be eliminated, seven others modified and five routes created.The overhaul generally redirects bus routes that parallel the Central Light Rail Line, which currently runs from Timonium to Linthicum and is scheduled to expand three miles farther south to Ferndale and Glen Burnie in July.

EVERY DAY, hundreds of Maryland Transit Administration buses travel the streets of the Baltimore region. On a typical weekday, they carry more than 250,000 people to jobs, school, errands, church. Buses and their drivers do their jobs with little fanfare or notice by everyone else. But MTA's planners are attracting attention by proposing the most comprehensive changes to the system since it entered public management in the 1960s. It's about time. According to state law, the bus system must keep its costs and fares in balance so that riders pay for at least 40 percent of operating costs.

The county's only public bus system will increase its adult fare by 25 cents to $1 today while its six routes will be streamlined into four to make up for reductions in government subsidies.The state Public Service Commission unanimously approved the revisions last Wednesday, allowing the Columbia Association to make the changes to ColumBus, which it operates using county, state and federal subsidies.The county's outgoing public transportation coordinator, Louis Pinkney, welcomed the changes saying they will reduce travel time and save money.

A woman was taken to Carroll County General Hospital after a two-car accident at routes 26 and 27 about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.Barbara Leigh Baker, 31, of Shepherdstown, W.Va., was released after treatment, a hospital spokeswoman said.State police said Karen Lynn Reuschling, 34, of Westminster, an employee of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental RTC Hygiene, was driving a state car east on Liberty Road and made a left turn in front of Ms. Baker, who was driving west on Liberty Road.Ms.

NEW YORK -- Pan Am, the struggling carrier that was the nation's pioneer in commercial aviation, all but gave up its long fight for survival yesterday by agreeing to sell the routes to Europe, Asia and Africa that helped make it famous, as well as its East Coast shuttle.The buyer is Delta Air Lines, the nation's third-largest carrier behind American and United. If the $260 million deal is completed, Delta will join a handful of carriers with vast international route networks that should allow them to dominate the industry in the next decade.

A plan to alter or eliminate nearly a third of Baltimore area bus routes has been delayed a month by the Mass Transit Administration because of scheduling problems.Slated to have gone into effect Sunday, the route changes will now coincide with rate increases March 10. Twelve of the 66 bus routes will be discontinued or shortened. Eight others will be rerouted.MTA spokesman Anthony Brown said the changes were delayed because bus drivers have not had enough time to learn the new routes. He said this winter's snowfall put training sessions two weeks behind schedule.