Rome subways to close early for maintenance works.

Rome's Metro B will close at 21.00 every night from April to June, with the city's Metro A line closing at the same early time for 18 months, starting from June.

The closures are to allow for "important maintenance and safety works" to be carried out on the two subway lines, Rome transport councillor Eugenio Patanè told newspaper Corriere della Sera on Saturday.

"We will spend all the famous €425 million allocated by the then minister Graziano Delrio" - Patanè told the Corriere - "But this sum is only a quarter of what is needed in total, that is: €1.2 billion for the overall maintenance of the existing lines."

Patanè also said that the troubled number 8 tram - which links Piazza Venezia to Casaletto - will have to close from July for about six months to "completely redo" the line's infrastructure.

Photo credit: Phuong D. Nguyen / Shutterstock.com.