Line B (Rome Metro)
| Rome Metro Line B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Rome Metro | ||
| Locale | Rome, Italy | ||
| Termini |
Rebibbia (north-east), Jonio (north) Laurentina (south-west) | ||
| Stations | 26 | ||
| Daily ridership | 300,000 | ||
| Operation | |||
| Opening | 9 February 1955 | ||
| Owner | ATAC | ||
| Operator(s) | ATAC | ||
| Character | Underground and Elevated | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 18.151 km (11.279 mi) plus B1 branch of 5,5 km[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Electrification | Overhead lines | ||
| |||
 |
Rebibbia | ||||||
| |
P.Mammolo | ||||||
| |
S.M.Soccorso | ||||||
| Jonio | |
|
Pietralata | ||||
| Conca d'Oro | |
|
M.Tiburtini | ||||
| Libia | |
|
Quintiliani | ||||
| S. Agnese - Annibaliano | |
|
Tiburtina FL1 FL2 | ||||
|
Bologna | ||||||
| 19 | |
Policlinico | |||||
|
Castro Pretorio | ||||||
| 5 14 RM-Giardinetti FL4 FL5 FL6 FL7 FL8 LE |
|
Termini A | |||||
|
Cavour | ||||||
|
Colosseo | ||||||
|
Circo Massimo | ||||||
| RM-Lido FL1 FL3 FL5 |
|
Piramide | |||||
|
Garbatella | ||||||
| RM-Lido | |
Basilica San Paolo | |||||
|
Marconi | ||||||
| RM-Lido | |
EUR Magliana | |||||
|
EUR Palasport | ||||||
|
EUR Fermi | ||||||
|
Laurentina | ||||||
Line B is a metro line serving Rome, Italy, and part of the Rome Metro. Despite its name, Line B was the first line to be built in the city. It crosses Rome diagonally from north-east, starting at Rebibbia and at Jonio stations, to south, terminating at Laurentina, in the EUR district. It crosses line A at Termini station. The line has 26 stations and is shown in blue on Metro maps.
Overview
Its first service runs at 5:30am and its last at 23:30. From 18 January 2008, the last Friday and Saturday service runs at 1:30. It carries 300,000 passengers a day and runs 377 trains a day, with a peak time frequency of one train every 3 minutes and one every 6 minutes at other times, at a maximum frequency of 10 minutes at the most off-peak times.[2]
History
Notwithstanding its name, the B line was in fact the first metro line in Rome. The line B connects the northern quarters of the city with the south-west. It currently has 25 stations with terminuses at Rebibbia, Conca d'Oro and Laurentina (just east of EUR). It is distinguished by the colour blue.
The B line was planned during the 1930s by the Fascist government in search of a rapid connection between the main train station, Termini, and a new district to the south-east of the city, E42, the planned location of the Universal Exposition (or Expo), which was to be held in Rome in 1942. The exposition never took place due to Italy's entrance into the Second World War in 1940. When work was interrupted some of the tunnels on the city-centre side of the metro (between Termini and Piramide) had been completed and were used as air raid shelters during the war.
Work on the metro began again in 1948, in concert with turning the space, formerly designated for the Expo, into a commercial district under the name EUR. The metro was officially opened on 9 February 1955 by the then President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi. Regular services began on the following day.
In 1990, the B line was extended from Termini to Rebibbia to the east of the city, and the entire line was modernised. A spur called B1 opened on 13 June 2012.[3] It is a branch of Line B from Bologna to Jonio with 4 stations: Sant'Agnese/Annibaliano, Libia, Conca d'Oro, and the branch's new terminus at Jonio—opened on 21 April 2015).
Opening dates
- 9 February 1955: Termini – Laurentina
- 8 December 1990: Termini – Rebibbia
- 13 June 2012: Bologna – Conca d'Oro (B1)
- 21 April 2015: Conca d'Oro – Jonio (B1)
Extensions
After the recently opened B1 line, there have been plans for an extension beyond Piazzale Jonio (and then to Bufalotta).[4]
Another future extension has been planned beyond Rebibbia with 2 stations: San Basilio and Torraccia/Casal Monastero.[5]
Rolling stock
When the B line opened in 1955, MR100 and MR200 trains (also collectively known as Automotrice Stanga-TIBB) were used, and were retired in 1990. Similar trains were also used on the Rome-Lido railway, and some still continue in that role today.
Nowadays, line B mostly uses AnsaldoBreda MB100 trains. These were introduced in 1990 not only to replace the ageing MR100 and MR200 trains but also to cope with an increase in passengers following the opening of the eastward extension to Rebibbia. These cars are heavily graffitied, giving the B line's rolling stock the appearance of New York City Subway rolling stock during the 1970s and 1980s. The MB100 cars are due for rebuilding at a future date.[6] A fleet of trains similar to the MB100 trains were also built for the Lima Metro in Peru.
Also used are the newer CAF MA300 trains similar to those on the A Line running in B line service. These MA300 trains entered service on the B line in 2010.
-
MA200 train at Piramide, 1984
-
MB100 train at Colosseo
-
A side view of the 1990 built MB100 cars on a Laurentina bound train stopping at EUR Magliana covered with graffiti.
-
Interior of an MB100 series car.
Notes
- ↑ http://www.romametropolitane.it/articolo.asp?CodMenu=2&CodArt=137
- ↑ Metroroma
- ↑ http://roma.corriere.it/roma/notizie/cronaca/12_giugno_12/apertura-metrob1-mercoledi-201570129222.shtml
- ↑ "Metro B1, ok alla tratta Ionio-Bufalotta", La Repubblica Roma.it, 18 February 2012.
- ↑ http://www.romametropolitane.it/articolo.asp?CodMenu=4&CodArt=110
- ↑ Rome Metro at world.nycsubway.org
External links
Media related to Line B (Rome metro) at Wikimedia Commons
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