The railways in Germany use several abbreviations to differentiate between various types of stations, stops, railway facilities and other places of rail service. Places with a set of points – (railway station), defined as a place where trains may start, terminate, stop, overtake, meet or change directions, and that has at least one set of points. It can be additionally named after its purpose: – , the main or central station of a town or city. Also the only abbreviation commonly found on station timetables and signs. – (passenger station), usually used to differentiate in places that have several types of stations, but only one passenger station. – (long distance station) – (freight station) – , a station only for operational tasks like train overtakes. – (marshalling yard) – (transshipment station) – , a station serving a power plant. – (mail station) – (part of a station), used when a station consists of distinct facilities, for example a and a . – (a junction without platforms) – (crossover) – (industrial siding outside station limits), trains using the must not be passed by trains running on the main line. – (refuge siding), an industrial siding outside station limits where trains can run on the main line while another train is shunting at the , in contrast to an . – , the term for a (see below) at the same location as an , or /. – , a simplified freight station used to transship goods, nowadays mostly part of a station or categorized as . Places without a set of points – (halt), a passenger stop that does not fit the requirements to be a . Defined as a place where trains can stop, start or terminate, but which has no sets of points in the vicinity. – (block post), a signal box outside station limits, where there is a long distance between stations and/or junctions/crossovers, with just one signal in each direction, to allow more trains following each other (only called if it is staffed, otherwise it is called – (automatic block post)). – , a signal box outside station limits which protects rail operation at danger spots like moveable bridges with its signals. Other railway facilities – (bus stop) – (office of the staff, locomotive depot; old/colloquial abbreviation: for ) – (head office of computer-based interlocking) – , border to another railway infrastructure manager (domestic and foreign). –