There are three types of technology:
- Institutions (which look like land tiles with buildings and railroad tracks).
- Single-Use Technologies (which have an illustration inside a glowing white square frame).
- Multiple-Use Technologies (which have an illustration inside a grey square frame).
Note: There are a couple of mixed technology tiles with both single and multiple-use technologies on them. You should treat each technology on these tiles separately.
A. Institutions
Institutions are either mines (increasing coin production), laboratories (increasing science point production), or hospitals (increasing victory point production).
A newly acquired institution is added to players' region during Upkeep, according to the rules for attaching new land tiles. However, for scoring purposes, the institution does not count as a land tile.
An institution never has citizen tokens or garbage tokens on it. Railroads cannot transport garbage through an institution tile (citizens can be transported, as explained below, in the section on locomotives).
Institutions do not produce coins, science points, or victory points directly. Instead, they can improve the production of a city on an adjacent tile. To get the production bonus depicted on the technology tile, the city must be occupied by a citizen token.
A city does not get a production bonus for something that it cannot produce by itself. The city and the institution must be on adjacent tiles and connected by a rail link that does not go through any other cities.
However, if two cities are connected to an adjacent institution by a rail link that forks before visiting any city, then both can get the production bonus.
This country produces 4 coins, 8 science points, and 1 victory point. The laboratory increases science point production in cities A and B. They each produce 3.
City C only produces 2 because it is not connected to the laboratory by a railroad. City D is connected, but it produces no science points by itself, so it does not get the bonus.
This country produces 3 coins, 4 science points, and 0 victory points. City E cannot get the bonus for the laboratory because the rail link goes through another city.
City F gets the bonus and produces 2 science points.
B. Single-use Technologies
These technologies are not connected to your region's land tiles. You keep them near your player board. The Bridge, Workers, and Sorting technologies can only be used once. The Park technology has only a one-time ecological impact.
Workers
A medical advance allows you to increase your country's population. Put one of your citizen tokens on this technology tile.
During any round's Upkeep phase, you may place this citizen token in any unoccupied city in your country.
This is a single-use technology; it only gives you 1 token, not one each round. However, the token you get is permanent. Once placed, it is just like all the others in your country.
Bridge
Your engineers build a bridge. Take a bridge and place it on this technology tile. During any round's Upkeep phase, you may add the new bridge to your railroad system, as explained below.
This is a single-use technology; it only gives you one bridge. Once the bridge is placed, it becomes a permanent part of the countryside; it cannot be moved later.
A bridge functions like an additional railroad track. When the bridge is placed, it must conform to the following rules:
- The bridge must be entirely on one tile (land tile or institution tile).
- The bridge must be straight (but it can have any length).
- The bridge cannot cross railroad tracks or cities (but it can end at a track or a city).
This bridge allows the recycling center on the right land tile to eliminate the garbage token on the left land tile.
The bridge allows the laboratory to increase each city's science point production by 1.
This bridge is illegal because it is on two tiles.
Both bridges were placed during a single Upkeep phase. Now the player can use a locomotive (see below) t move the citizen token on the left land tile to the unoccupied city on the right land tile. (Or move the other token from the right to the left).
Without the bridge, the hospital only benefits one city. In both examples, one bridge allows two cities to get the production bonus from the hospital.
Sorting
Your social engineers have developed a recycling campaign. During any round's Upkeep phase, you may remove 1 garbage token from any one land tile. It can only be used once per Upkeep phase.
It is not possible to pay extra to remove more garbage.
Park
Unlike other single-use technologies, the park does not have an ability that you can use once.
Instead, it has an immediate ecological impact (indicated by the 
in the upper left corner).
C. Multiple-use Technologies
These technologies are not connected to your region's land tiles. You keep them near your player board. They give you a special ability that you can use once during each Upkeep phase.
Locomotive
You have developed a passenger rail line. This is the only way to move a citizen token once it has been placed in a city. During each Upkeep phase, the locomotive allows you to move one citizen token to an unoccupied city.
The two cities must be connected by railroad tracks (or bridges) that do not go through any other city. The connection may pass through one or more institution tiles.
These are three examples of legal relocations using the locomotive.
Multiple locomotives allow you to make multiple moves.
It is not legal to move the citizen token from city A to city C because the rail link goes through city B. (Even if city B were unoccupied, this would not be legal). However, if you have 2 locomotives, you can move the token at B to C, then move the token at A to B in the same round, which achieves the desired result.
Garbage Transport
Trains are wonderful, but sometimes you need garbage trucks. This technology allows you to move 1 garbage token from any land tile to any other land tile in your region, regardless of distance or rail links.
You can use it once per Upkeep phase. Remember: Upkeep happens before Production (and Recycling) so the garbage token you move can be recycled later this round.
Recycling
Your scientists have developed new recycling technology. During each round's Upkeep phase, you may pay the indicated cost to remove 1 garbage token from any land tile.
The technology only allows you to remove 1 garbage token per round; you cannot pay extra to remove more garbage. You can use this technology even if you have no functional recycling centers.
Remember: Upkeep happens before Production, so plan to keep enough in reserve to pay for this ability.
Environmental Cleanup
Sometimes technology really can solve your problems. This technology allows you to pay the indicated cost to move your pollution marker one space to the right. It can only be used once per Upkeep phase.
It is not possible to pay extra and move the marker more spaces. Remember: Upkeep happens before Production, so plan to keep enough in reserve to pay for this ability.
Quality of Life
This technology provides a way to improve your country's standard of living, for a price. Once per Upkeep phase, you can pay the indicated cost for the indicated number of victory points.
It is not possible to pay more for extra victory points, and it is not possible to pay part of the cost to get a partial benefit. Remember: Upkeep happens before Production, so plan to keep enough in reserve to pay for this ability.
Note on Round Five Technologies
It may seem that round five is too late to be investing in multiple-use technologies, but remember that a multiple-use technology acquired in round five can be used twice: once during round five and once during round six.
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