The construction of the Rome Metro C stations is a major engineering challenge—a project that looks toward the future while respecting the past. It is the city’s first driverless subway line, but it is also the first to be transformed into a literal museum. Within this setting, three new Hyundai excavators are at work: innovative machines with a profound respect for history.
The company C.E.A.P.P. S.r.l. (Costruzioni Edili Appalti Pubblici e Privati) was awarded the contract for the works on the Fori Imperiali and Piazza Venezia stations of Rome's Metro C. Founded in 2002 by legal representative Aldo Ludovisi, building on his twenty years of experience in the construction and real estate sectors, the Roman firm handles residential construction, turnkey contracts, the creation and maintenance of waste landfills, urbanisation works, land reclamation, and public works.
"C.E.A.P.P. was established in the early 2000s as a company dedicated to renovations, later specialising more and more in public tenders until it became our core business today. Currently, we are engaged in the delivery of the Fori Imperiali station and the construction of the new 'Piazza Venezia' stop on Rome's Metro C," explained Aldo Ludovisi, legal representative of C.E.A.P.P. S.r.l. "The Piazza Venezia construction site is our flagship: it is a project that demands top-tier engineering to cope with the various difficulties a city like Rome presents, both in the archaeological and hydrological spheres. It is a great engineering challenge characterised by a combination of technological solutions that are studied even at an international level."
To meet the diverse needs of such a complex site, the Roman company turned to Venditti Macchine s.r.l., the Hyundai dealer for the Lazio region.
Fabio Di Sabatino, sales representative for Venditti Macchine, states:
"C.E.A.P.P. was already a customer of Venditti Macchine, primarily for the maintenance and repair of their vehicles. The company needed to renew its fleet and turned to our dealership to replace obsolete machinery."
"The need to upgrade the fleet arose primarily in relation to this site, which required specialised work in a delicate architectural and historical context, surrounded by several historic buildings under the protection of artistic heritage. We supplied two HX210A crawler excavators with monolithic booms and one HW150A wheeled excavator with a triple boom. Since the latter is road-legal, it can move from the company’s logistics point to the construction site without any issues."
On February 15, 2024, excavation began on the first of the diaphragm walls. These will house the pillars that, placed side-by-side, will form the "box" within which the Piazza Venezia station will be built. Once the perimeter of the entire station is completed, excavation can proceed to accommodate the station structures using the top-down methodology (working from the top level downwards).
"During the initial demolition of the diaphragm wall, the Hyundai HX210A excavators are equipped with hydraulic shears, as we are working beneath historic buildings and must pay maximum attention to vibrations," explained Fabio De Pellegrin, Technical Director of C.E.A.P.P. "Subsequently, the floor slabs and openings will be created to proceed with the actual construction of the station through the reverse-construction top-down method."
Once completed, the Piazza Venezia station will provide direct access to the Roman Forum area and the Vittoriano. It will be a true 'archeo-station' thanks to an entire underground level used as a museum area, where archaeological finds discovered during excavation will be displayed.
Fabio De Pellegrin states:
"At the Piazza Venezia Line C site, there are three Hyundai excavators—the HX210A models and the HW150A model—which are handling the excavations for the roof slabs. They are high-performing, safe, and precise machines."
"Before purchasing, we tested and compared them with similar models from competitors. We realised that, compared to the competition, Hyundai excavators offer a smaller footprint, greater stability, and higher performance. Furthermore, having two major sites like Fori Imperiali and Piazza Venezia, the wheeled excavator can move between them with great ease and without the need for a low-loader trailer, which would involve a loss of time."
"We are very satisfied with the purchase of the Hyundai excavators; they are very reliable and high-performing vehicles," concluded Aldo Ludovisi. "For the purchase, we contacted Fabio, our point of contact between Venditti and Hyundai. He has always supported our various needs with great professionalism and helped us identify the model that best met the requirements of this important construction site."
