New Hitachi Zaxis model picked for Italian rail scheme

The ZX350LCN-6 excavator is currently working on the Arcisate-Stabio railway line, which will connect Varese in northern Italy with Ticino and Como via Mendrisio, enabling passengers to reach Milan’s Malpensa Airport from cities in central and southern Switzerland. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

Owned by Mezzanzanica, a company based in Parabiago near Milan, the ZX350LCN-6 is part of a fleet that includes nine Hitachi mini and medium excavators and wheel loaders from Zaxis-1, -3, and -5 series, along with two ZX350LCN-6 units.

On site in Induno Olona, near Varese, the ZX350LCN-6 is being used for installing 9 km of irrigation pipelines under the railway line. Equipped with a quick coupler and a standard 2.3 m³ bucket, it performs earthmoving tasks and places 1-ton concrete sections into trenches. Material excavated from the site is used to restore quarries owned by the Italian rail network RFI to their original condition.

Cristian Mezzanzanica, Managing Director of Mezzanzanica, stated, “Our work requires a high level of precision. Over the years, we have found Hitachi hydraulics to be superb. This has also increased our productivity as working with high levels of precision means no time is lost.” He added, “We tested the Hitachi ZX350LCN-6 against other leading brands and found it to be extremely fast.”