after the step-down of Helmut Xander) 20 September 2000 until 31 Dezember 2006: Jürgen Fritz since 1 January 2007 and reelected for 5 years on 16 September 2009: Thomas Bopp Regional Directors The designations were: 1974–1994 Verbandsdirektor des Regionalverbands Mittlerer Neckar respectively Verbandsdirektor des Regionalverbands Stuttgart; since 1994 Regionaldirektor des Verbands Region Stuttgart. 1 February 1974 until 1 October 1994: Erich Stoll 1 October 1994 until 25 September 2008: Bernd Steinacher (1956–2008) 1 July 2009 until 1 July 2013: Jeannette Wopperer since 19 March 2014: Nicola Schelling Infrastructure The Stuttgart Region is accessed through a dense roadenetwork of controlled access highways (Autobahn), federal Highway (Bundesstraßen), district roads (Kreisstrassen). The Bundesstraßen, enhanced to four to six lanes run in a star pattern towards the states capital. There are only few efficient tangential Connections. The two Autobahns A 8 and A 81 meet in the Region at the Leonberg triangle, one of the most used Autobahn junctions in Germany. Stuttgarter Hauptbahnhof, the main railway station is hub for the long-distance, regional and S-Bahn-Verkehr. Within a radius of 100 km you thereby can reach about 12 million people. Stuttgart Airport has become a European hub for almost 60 airlines. 10 Million passengers use it annually and 65,000 tons of air freight is shipped here. Flights are offered to over 120 destinations in more than 40 countries. Through the Stuttgarter Harbour the Region is connected to the inner German and western European waterway network. Cargo ships with a tonnage of up to 2,800 t are loaded and unloaded here daily. In order to accommodate the large number of commuters in the Region and relieve the roads, the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS) offers, counting only the S-Bahn already a network of 215 km length and Services 83 stops. The leisure traffic accumulates the majority of the distances taken by the regions 2.7 Million inhabitants. About 800,000 People, roundabout three quarters of the socially insured employees, don't work where they live. Economic significance The Gross Domestic Product for Stuttgart Region was recorded at about €35,000 per capita, about €64,000 per employed person and €120 billion total. The unemployment rate is 4.8 per cent. Stuttgart Region is one of Europe's economic centres. This is due not only to the influence of international companies, such as Daimler, Porsche, Robert Bosch, Celesio, Hewlett-Packard and IBM (all of whom have their world or German headquarters here), but also to