Rome's metro line A will be closing early from October 2004 to October 2007. The exact date to the start of the project has yet to be announced. The 21.00 closure, which has been announced by Rome's office for mobility, STA, is for an ambitious 160 million programme covering security, ventilation, emergency exits and the widening of platforms. The stations involved in the remodernisation are Termini (line A), Vittorio Emanuele, Manzoni, S. Giovanni and Re di Roma. Between 21.00-23.30 additional buses will be added to night route 55 through the zones affected by the shutdown.

The announcement has already sparked off protests from consumer associations, demanding better alternatives, such as work-round-the-clock until August 2005.

The closure is reminiscent of the one ten years ago, when the metro line B was shut for modernisation on the Termini-Eur route.