The Victoria state budget includes A$7·2m for rehabilitation of the concourse of Melbourne’s Flinders Street station, A$1·3m to upgrade Jolimont station for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, and A$5m for a new station at Grovedale, west of Geelong.

A ceremony on May 6 marked the completion of refurbishment at Finlyandski station in St Petersburg, following a two-year renovation completed by Baltic Construction Co at a cost of 92·7m roubles. The city’s refurbished Glavny (Moskovski) station was inaugurated on May 23, and the renovated Baltiski station on the October Railway on May 25.

Shosholoza Meyl is to upgrade Germiston and Cape Town stations to improve accessibility and baggage handling facilities.

Sri Lanka Railways is establishing public-private partnerships to maintain stations. Advertising firm Phoenix is responsible for Colombo’s Fort station, and John Keells will take over Slave Island.

Metro Transit is to use Philips Mifare contactless smart cards on its public transport network in Minneapolis-St Paul, including the Hiawatha light rail line.

Bombardier has delivered to Netherlands Railways the first of 60 Sprinter EMUs being refurbished in Denmark. The interior has been opened up, and space created for bicycles and wheelchairs (RG 3.03 p129).

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