Notwithstanding its name, the B line was in fact the first metro line in Rome. The line B connects the north-east of the city with the south-west. It currently has 22 stations with terminals at Rebibbia and Laurentina (just east of EUR). It's 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 works were interrupted some of the tunnels on the city-centre side of the metro (between Termini and Pyramide) had been completed and were used as air raid shelters during the war.
Work on the metro began again in 1948, in concert with works on 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.
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