A tiny train crosses the vast landscapes of Canada in Jeff Friesen’s photographs.
About a decade ago, the photographer began a playful project called The Canadian: Ghost Train Crossing Canada.
Using a five-centimeter model of the classic 1955 streamliner, he recreated its journey from Toronto to Vancouver. The miniature train appeared in forests, canyons, and along quiet shores, turning the country’s open spaces into scenes of nostalgia and imagination.
The real Canadian, now operated by VIA Rail, travels 4,466 kilometers between Toronto and Vancouver in just over four days, making around 65 stops, many of them on request. When it debuted in 1955 under Canadian Pacific Railway, it introduced sleek stainless-steel coaches and panoramic dome cars that defined a new standard of comfort and style.
Today, The Canadian still carries passengers across the country in three service classes: Economy, Sleeper Plus, and Prestige. Its signature Skyline cars, with glass-roofed observation lounges, offer sweeping views of rivers, mountains, prairies, and forests that stretch to the horizon.
In 2013, The Canadian earned a place on Canada’s $10 polymer banknote, celebrating a train that continues to link the nation from coast to coast.
P.S. This Canadian may be small, but its journey remains as grand as ever.
🚂🫧⛰️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport
About a decade ago, the photographer began a playful project called The Canadian: Ghost Train Crossing Canada.
Using a five-centimeter model of the classic 1955 streamliner, he recreated its journey from Toronto to Vancouver. The miniature train appeared in forests, canyons, and along quiet shores, turning the country’s open spaces into scenes of nostalgia and imagination.
The real Canadian, now operated by VIA Rail, travels 4,466 kilometers between Toronto and Vancouver in just over four days, making around 65 stops, many of them on request. When it debuted in 1955 under Canadian Pacific Railway, it introduced sleek stainless-steel coaches and panoramic dome cars that defined a new standard of comfort and style.
Today, The Canadian still carries passengers across the country in three service classes: Economy, Sleeper Plus, and Prestige. Its signature Skyline cars, with glass-roofed observation lounges, offer sweeping views of rivers, mountains, prairies, and forests that stretch to the horizon.
In 2013, The Canadian earned a place on Canada’s $10 polymer banknote, celebrating a train that continues to link the nation from coast to coast.
P.S. This Canadian may be small, but its journey remains as grand as ever.
🚂🫧⛰️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport
It is not uncommon for decommissioned masterpieces of engineering to find a second life as centers of culture and creativity.
One of the most famous examples in Russia is GES-2 in Moscow.
Originally a tram power station, it was redeveloped in 2015 under the direction of Italian architect Renzo Piano, one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture. Piano transformed the building into more than just a museum. Today, GES-2 is one of the city’s most popular art spaces for learning, creativity, and self-development.
In London, the Tate Modern gallery once served as the Bankside Power Station, a coal-fired plant redeveloped after World War II. Its striking industrial design and distinctive silhouette give the museum’s vast exhibition spaces a unique atmosphere.
Shanghai’s former Nanshi Power Plant has been reborn as China’s first state-run museum of contemporary art. The name is quite fitting: the Power Station of Art. In 2019, it hosted an exclusive exhibition by French architect Jean Nouvel, and every two years the museum becomes a major venue for the Shanghai Biennale.
Rome’s first power station, built in 1912, has also been transformed.
Today, it houses the Centrale Montemartini, an archaeological museum where ancient sculptures stand amid gleaming industrial pipes, creating a striking blend of antiquity and modernity.
P.S. First, they powered cities; now, they power thought.
🔌💭🧑🎨
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Architecture #PS_NPS_History
One of the most famous examples in Russia is GES-2 in Moscow.
Originally a tram power station, it was redeveloped in 2015 under the direction of Italian architect Renzo Piano, one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture. Piano transformed the building into more than just a museum. Today, GES-2 is one of the city’s most popular art spaces for learning, creativity, and self-development.
In London, the Tate Modern gallery once served as the Bankside Power Station, a coal-fired plant redeveloped after World War II. Its striking industrial design and distinctive silhouette give the museum’s vast exhibition spaces a unique atmosphere.
Shanghai’s former Nanshi Power Plant has been reborn as China’s first state-run museum of contemporary art. The name is quite fitting: the Power Station of Art. In 2019, it hosted an exclusive exhibition by French architect Jean Nouvel, and every two years the museum becomes a major venue for the Shanghai Biennale.
Rome’s first power station, built in 1912, has also been transformed.
Today, it houses the Centrale Montemartini, an archaeological museum where ancient sculptures stand amid gleaming industrial pipes, creating a striking blend of antiquity and modernity.
P.S. First, they powered cities; now, they power thought.
🔌💭🧑🎨
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Architecture #PS_NPS_History
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Winter hasn’t arrived yet, but in Russia everyone is already preparing for the first snow. Tire shops are crowded, and road crews are busy stocking de‑icing materials in anticipation of icy streets.
Winter and icy roads aren’t just a local problem. Around the world, people have found some surprisingly creative ways to deal with ice.
In Iowa, for example, road crews once ran out of regular salt during heavy snowfalls. Local spice producers stepped in with several tons of expired garlic salt, which worked as a temporary solution.
Agricultural waste can also help. Grape skins and other winemaking byproducts, when mixed with salt, can melt ice more effectively than salt alone, although the sugar content can make roads sticky and even interfere with some breathalyzers.
In Idaho, engineers tested Solar Roadways, smart panels that combine solar cells, LED lights, and sensors. In winter, the panels can melt snow automatically, while in summer they generate electricity. The downside? These roads are extremely expensive, and some early prototypes, like a similar installation in France, broke down after only a few years.
In countries like Iceland and Japan, some roads are heated using geothermal energy. Pipes beneath the pavement carry steam from underground sources to keep the surface ice-free. The catch is that this only works in areas with volcanic activity or other geothermal resources.
For all our technology, we still share one simple remedy for winter's peril with every generation before us: the patient arrival of spring.
P.S. Officer, I swear, it’s the grape-salt fumes!
🍇🧂❄️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained
Winter and icy roads aren’t just a local problem. Around the world, people have found some surprisingly creative ways to deal with ice.
In Iowa, for example, road crews once ran out of regular salt during heavy snowfalls. Local spice producers stepped in with several tons of expired garlic salt, which worked as a temporary solution.
Agricultural waste can also help. Grape skins and other winemaking byproducts, when mixed with salt, can melt ice more effectively than salt alone, although the sugar content can make roads sticky and even interfere with some breathalyzers.
In Idaho, engineers tested Solar Roadways, smart panels that combine solar cells, LED lights, and sensors. In winter, the panels can melt snow automatically, while in summer they generate electricity. The downside? These roads are extremely expensive, and some early prototypes, like a similar installation in France, broke down after only a few years.
In countries like Iceland and Japan, some roads are heated using geothermal energy. Pipes beneath the pavement carry steam from underground sources to keep the surface ice-free. The catch is that this only works in areas with volcanic activity or other geothermal resources.
For all our technology, we still share one simple remedy for winter's peril with every generation before us: the patient arrival of spring.
P.S. Officer, I swear, it’s the grape-salt fumes!
🍇🧂❄️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained
Imagine a subway station painted by Pablo Picasso with bold geometry, vivid colours and unexpected shapes. That is the atmosphere of Estação Olaias in Lisbon.
Opened in May 1998 for Expo 98, the station sits on the Red Line and quickly became one of the city’s most striking modern landmarks. Designed by Portuguese architect Tomás Taveira, it features work from several artists whose styles blend into a vibrant, theatrical space.
The stained glass ceilings made from richly coloured panels cast shifting light across the station. The walls echo these tones with geometric patterns that create a sense of movement and depth. Massive metal-like columns rise through the hall and look as though they were lifted from an old industrial plant.
The result feels is fantastical. The dramatic height, the vivid palette and the mix of materials transform a simple transit point into an immersive underground world. It is a rare example of infrastructure that doubles as an art experience and remains one of Lisbon’s most memorable metro stations.
P.S. Warning: You may forget to board your train.
🖍💥🎫
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Art
Opened in May 1998 for Expo 98, the station sits on the Red Line and quickly became one of the city’s most striking modern landmarks. Designed by Portuguese architect Tomás Taveira, it features work from several artists whose styles blend into a vibrant, theatrical space.
The stained glass ceilings made from richly coloured panels cast shifting light across the station. The walls echo these tones with geometric patterns that create a sense of movement and depth. Massive metal-like columns rise through the hall and look as though they were lifted from an old industrial plant.
The result feels is fantastical. The dramatic height, the vivid palette and the mix of materials transform a simple transit point into an immersive underground world. It is a rare example of infrastructure that doubles as an art experience and remains one of Lisbon’s most memorable metro stations.
P.S. Warning: You may forget to board your train.
🖍💥🎫
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Art
In 1881, London opened the Savoy Theatre, the first public building in the world lit entirely by electricity. With its success, the owners built the luxurious Savoy Hotel in 1889, which soon became famous.
At the turn of the century, a grey-bearded visitor from France checked into this hotel. It was the painter Claude Monet. He probably spent little time exploring the hotel. Instead, he worked at the window of his sixth-floor room, overlooking a sharp bend in the Thames. He could see bridges in the distance, shrouded in London’s shifting mists.
Monet had once written that London would not be beautiful without its fog. He believed it gave the city its depth and mystery. For months, he returned to the same spot, capturing the river and the bridges in changing light. This is how his famous London Series was created, with 35 paintings of Charing Cross Bridge and 41 of Waterloo Bridge.
The views Monet painted have disappeared. A new Waterloo Bridge was built in 1945. Charing Cross Bridge has been transformed into the Hungerford Bridge. London’s fog is far less common, and the trees along Victoria Embankment now rise high enough to block the sixth-floor view. Monet’s paintings preserve a landscape that no longer exists.
P.S. Monet turned bad weather into masterpieces. Try that with today’s drizzle.
🪷🌂🎩
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_History #PS_NPS_Art
At the turn of the century, a grey-bearded visitor from France checked into this hotel. It was the painter Claude Monet. He probably spent little time exploring the hotel. Instead, he worked at the window of his sixth-floor room, overlooking a sharp bend in the Thames. He could see bridges in the distance, shrouded in London’s shifting mists.
Monet had once written that London would not be beautiful without its fog. He believed it gave the city its depth and mystery. For months, he returned to the same spot, capturing the river and the bridges in changing light. This is how his famous London Series was created, with 35 paintings of Charing Cross Bridge and 41 of Waterloo Bridge.
The views Monet painted have disappeared. A new Waterloo Bridge was built in 1945. Charing Cross Bridge has been transformed into the Hungerford Bridge. London’s fog is far less common, and the trees along Victoria Embankment now rise high enough to block the sixth-floor view. Monet’s paintings preserve a landscape that no longer exists.
P.S. Monet turned bad weather into masterpieces. Try that with today’s drizzle.
🪷🌂🎩
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_History #PS_NPS_Art
Construction of the first Moscow - Saint Petersburg high-speed rail line marks a major step toward strengthening Russia’s technological leadership. At a panel session during Transport Week, Nikita Terentyev, CEO of NPS//ST, spoke about the unique engineering solutions that GC NPS has developed for the country’s first high-speed railway.
🤗 Next-generation ballastless track
Existing foreign high-speed rail track designs do not meet the requirements of the Russian project. They are intended for lower speeds, milder climates, and a narrower gauge. GC NPS developed its own system based on an innovative concrete rail slab that can withstand temperature extremes from minus 50°C to plus 50°C. Its service life is at least 50 years.
🤗 Robotic manufacturing plants
The slabs will be produced at two GC NPS plants in the Novgorod and Tver regions. Automation throughout the process will ensure an accuracy of about 0.5 millimeters.
🤗 Track foundation and soil stabilization
Large parts of the high-speed rail route pass through waterlogged and weak soils. The project requires that track settlement remain within 15 millimeters over 50 years of operation. Meeting this requirement calls for unprecedented engineering solutions. More than one million piles will be installed to strengthen the subgrade.
🤗 Bridges and elevated structures
The total length of bridges and other engineered structures along the route will be about 180 kilometers. The bridges will use unique 700-ton beams. To produce them, GC NPS will build 10 dedicated production sites operating around the clock.
P.S. For those keeping track.
🏗️ 🚆👷🏻
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_News #PS_NPS_Projects
Existing foreign high-speed rail track designs do not meet the requirements of the Russian project. They are intended for lower speeds, milder climates, and a narrower gauge. GC NPS developed its own system based on an innovative concrete rail slab that can withstand temperature extremes from minus 50°C to plus 50°C. Its service life is at least 50 years.
The slabs will be produced at two GC NPS plants in the Novgorod and Tver regions. Automation throughout the process will ensure an accuracy of about 0.5 millimeters.
Large parts of the high-speed rail route pass through waterlogged and weak soils. The project requires that track settlement remain within 15 millimeters over 50 years of operation. Meeting this requirement calls for unprecedented engineering solutions. More than one million piles will be installed to strengthen the subgrade.
The total length of bridges and other engineered structures along the route will be about 180 kilometers. The bridges will use unique 700-ton beams. To produce them, GC NPS will build 10 dedicated production sites operating around the clock.
“High-speed rail requires specialists who can work where multiple engineering disciplines meet and who understand the system as a whole. A modern construction professional must be confident in using digital tools such as BIM models, GIS systems, and laser scanning. The project demands exceptional precision, adaptability, and the ability to find nonstandard solutions,” said Nikita Terentyev.
P.S. For those keeping track.
🏗️ 🚆👷🏻
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_News #PS_NPS_Projects
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What if Martians really did visit Earth? In Stockholm, there is a subway station that creates exactly that impression.
Solna Centrum opened in 1975 as part of the Blue Line of the Stockholm Metro. The station is carved directly into bedrock, and its rough stone surfaces became the canvas for artists Karl Olov Björk and Anders Åberg. Their original design centered on an illuminated red cavern-like ceiling meant to resemble a twilight sky, while the green lower walls evoke the shadowed depths of Swedish forests.
The artists also added small scenes and installations that highlight key environmental and social concerns of the 1970s: deforestation, industrial expansion and the disappearance of rural communities. These elements turn the station into something between an art gallery and a surreal cave.
Walking through Solna Centrum feels like moving through a glowing extraterrestrial chamber. It’s a routine stop for commuters, but its atmosphere makes it feel like the entrance to another world.
P.S. Who needs a spaceship when the metro looks like this?
🚀🌌☄️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Architecture
Solna Centrum opened in 1975 as part of the Blue Line of the Stockholm Metro. The station is carved directly into bedrock, and its rough stone surfaces became the canvas for artists Karl Olov Björk and Anders Åberg. Their original design centered on an illuminated red cavern-like ceiling meant to resemble a twilight sky, while the green lower walls evoke the shadowed depths of Swedish forests.
The artists also added small scenes and installations that highlight key environmental and social concerns of the 1970s: deforestation, industrial expansion and the disappearance of rural communities. These elements turn the station into something between an art gallery and a surreal cave.
Walking through Solna Centrum feels like moving through a glowing extraterrestrial chamber. It’s a routine stop for commuters, but its atmosphere makes it feel like the entrance to another world.
P.S. Who needs a spaceship when the metro looks like this?
🚀🌌☄️
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Architecture
Ploshchad Revolyutsii is one of Moscow’s most unforgettable metro stations, a place where your commute suddenly turns into a walk through an underground sculpture gallery.
It is located right below Revolution Square, near the Kremlin. Opened in 1938 and designed by Alexey Dushkin, the station is lined with 76 bronze statues in the socialist realism style.
The most famous "resident" is the bronze dog beside the border guard. Its nose is polished to a shine because everyone touches it for luck: students before exams, commuters before a long day, tourists just for fun. The tradition is so strong that people don’t even slow down. They tap the dog’s nose in one smooth motion and vanish onto the next train.
Other statues have their own small rituals. Some travelers rub the sailor’s shoe, some reach for the student’s book. Whether you believe in these little superstitions or not, watching them play out on a busy morning is delightful.
That is the charm of Ploshchad Revolyutsii. It is grand but welcoming, artistic but practical. A station where daily routine and a bit of magic meet in the most ordinary moment: a quick brush of bronze before heading into the day.
P.S. The dog doesn’t bite.
🦮🚇🍀
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Art
It is located right below Revolution Square, near the Kremlin. Opened in 1938 and designed by Alexey Dushkin, the station is lined with 76 bronze statues in the socialist realism style.
The most famous "resident" is the bronze dog beside the border guard. Its nose is polished to a shine because everyone touches it for luck: students before exams, commuters before a long day, tourists just for fun. The tradition is so strong that people don’t even slow down. They tap the dog’s nose in one smooth motion and vanish onto the next train.
Other statues have their own small rituals. Some travelers rub the sailor’s shoe, some reach for the student’s book. Whether you believe in these little superstitions or not, watching them play out on a busy morning is delightful.
That is the charm of Ploshchad Revolyutsii. It is grand but welcoming, artistic but practical. A station where daily routine and a bit of magic meet in the most ordinary moment: a quick brush of bronze before heading into the day.
P.S. The dog doesn’t bite.
🦮🚇🍀
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_Art
Geocomposites, plastics, polymers… modern road builders use a range of materials to make roads stronger and safer.
Engineers of the past had a much simpler toolkit. Without modern manufacturing, they relied entirely on whatever nature provided: stone, sand, and wood.
The most famous stone roads are those of the Roman Empire. The network stretched for about 90,000 kilometers. These roads outlasted the empire itself and later became the foundation of Europe’s transport system.
Just as impressive were the stone routes built by the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations. The wheel had not been invented in pre-Columbian America, so they were mainly used by pedestrians or pack animals. Some of these ancient roads still survive in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, including stretches that climb the Andes to nearly 5,000 meters above sea level.
In Russia, wood was the main road-building material for centuries. Builders laid wide planks over long support logs, and when the surface wore out, they simply added a new layer on top. In Novgorod, archaeologists have found as many as twenty-five layers stacked this way, dating from the 10th to the 15th centuries.
A new approach appeared in 1820, when engineer Vasily Gurev introduced wooden paving made from end-grain blocks. The first road of this type was built in St. Petersburg, and the idea later spread to Europe and the United States. These wooden surfaces were quieter than stone but less durable.
P.S. Imagine explaining potholes as a cultural feature.
🪨⛏️🗺
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_History #PS_NPS_ExplanationCrew
Engineers of the past had a much simpler toolkit. Without modern manufacturing, they relied entirely on whatever nature provided: stone, sand, and wood.
The most famous stone roads are those of the Roman Empire. The network stretched for about 90,000 kilometers. These roads outlasted the empire itself and later became the foundation of Europe’s transport system.
Just as impressive were the stone routes built by the Inca, Maya, and Aztec civilizations. The wheel had not been invented in pre-Columbian America, so they were mainly used by pedestrians or pack animals. Some of these ancient roads still survive in Peru, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, including stretches that climb the Andes to nearly 5,000 meters above sea level.
In Russia, wood was the main road-building material for centuries. Builders laid wide planks over long support logs, and when the surface wore out, they simply added a new layer on top. In Novgorod, archaeologists have found as many as twenty-five layers stacked this way, dating from the 10th to the 15th centuries.
A new approach appeared in 1820, when engineer Vasily Gurev introduced wooden paving made from end-grain blocks. The first road of this type was built in St. Petersburg, and the idea later spread to Europe and the United States. These wooden surfaces were quieter than stone but less durable.
P.S. Imagine explaining potholes as a cultural feature.
🪨⛏️🗺
#PS_NPS #NationalProjectConstruction #PS_NPS_Explained #PS_NPS_Transport #PS_NPS_History #PS_NPS_ExplanationCrew