Rob Fisher

The Sunday Times travel section has an article about the splendour of the stations on the Moscow subway.

Komsomolskaya station, to the northeast of the city centre, was opened as part of the first wave in 1935. Its atrium is one of the most beautiful: luxuriously decorated with heavy chandeliers, arches made from three types of marble, and granite floors.

On the ceiling and walls are depictions of Russian leaders and civilians, the former heroically leading forces into battle on horseback, the latter with sleeves rolled and backs breaking in honest toil.

All this reminded me of some photos I’d seen of the Pyongyang Metro.  That website is run by someone who thinks Pyongyang’s metro has military uses, but it seems that communist transport infrastructure has propaganda uses, too.  Sometimes that’s the only use, as in the case of a ten lane highway with hardly any traffic.

Patrick Crozier

A missile train open day in St Petersburg.  From English Russia.

Patrick Crozier

...drive on the railway.

Spotted here by James Hamilton.