The International Union of Railways has added a European timetable search facility to its website (www.uic.asso.fr). After entering the country their journey starts in and that of their destination, users are presented with links to the journey planning pages of the relevant member railways.

Cubic Transportation Systems has developed the Tri-Reader, capable of reading three types of contactless smart card and supporting security application modules for electronic purse and other non-transport uses. As well as Cubic’s Go Card, Tri-Reader is compatible with ISO 14443 Type A and B smart cards.

Trials of the Swiss EasyRide smart card are to be conducted on SBB and TPG services around Basel and Genève later this year, in preparation for a planned national launch in 2005.

Mobile phone users on the Orange and Xin Gan Sian networks in Hong Kong now have access via short codes to four radio channels offering news, music ghost stories and drama when travelling on the MTR network. Live Radio Service has been introduced by MTR Corp in conjunction with Hutchinson Telecom and Metro Broadcast.

Great North Eastern Railway has reopened its travel centre at London’s Kings Cross station after a £2m refurbishment, which has seen the number of counters increased from 18 to 22 and the installation of four self-service machines. Standard and first class lounges have been refurbished at a cost of £1·85m.

Peek Traffic AB has installed Linaria real time passenger information systems at 142 stations across the Banverket network in Sweden. Based on eight servers in regional control centres, Linaria uses signalling data to update train running information derived from the timetable.

Swiss Federal Railways has commissioned passenger surveys on how to integrate Bern Hbf better with the rest of the city during the next phase of refurbishment in 2001-03; work on the train shed and subways has recently been completed.

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