«Toledo» is more than just a Naples subway station - it is a piece of art.
Toledo is one of the "Art Stations", where every detail - like the shapes, the colors or the materials - has been carefully chosen to create something not only functional, but also characterized by a high aesthetic value.
"We are proud to have contributed to such a special project, not only providing a lot of technical solutions of the latest generation for passengers, but also some "personalized" components, to be integrated into an architectural and artistic context of such a big value", said Francesco Ippolito, the Director of Operations for Central and South Areas of Schindler Italy.
Toledo was awarded first place in the ranking published by the British “Daily Telegraph”, as the most beautiful subway station in Europe.Designed by the Catalan star-architect Oscar Tousquets Blanca, it includes installations by renowned artists from all over the world, such as William Kendridge, Robert Wilson and Achille Cevoli. The impressive station, opened in September 2012, is part of the "Art Stations" of the Naples Metro System, a project created by the Municipal Administration and by M.N. Naples Metro, with the artistic collaboration of Achille Bonito Oliva.
Toledo is one of the deepest stations of the Naples Metro System, reaching the equivalent of five underground floors. Its colors symbolically suggest the passage from the land to the sea. A spectacular "crater of light" - a large pierced pillar, underlined by an installation of colored LEDs (by Robert Wilson) - allows the external light to penetrate down to the large escalator, 38 meters lower.
The escalators and the moving walkways at the second exit of the station, in Piazza Montecalvario, are connected to a remote monitoring system. This allows operators to, if necessary, change their direction, and receive real-time information about possible service problems.
Schindler provided 18 escalators - two of which with a difference in height of 30 meters - 4 moving walkways and 4 elevators to the impressive subway station.