and rear view mirrors and are powered from overhead wires. There are several extension projects planned for the future, especially proposals to establish a full-fledged underground system. As this would be rather expensive, it will probably not be built in the near future, if at all. Even so, history shows that Frankfurt's underground network has always grown slower than was planned. Bus Buses play a minor role in Frankfurt transit since all major routes are served by rail based modes of transportation. There are, however, several cross-town bus routes, especially in the north. Buses are also used as feeder services for the underground lines and operate. Local trains Local trains connect Frankfurt with small towns and villages up to a distance of 80 Kilometers. Most local trains have more than one station in the city area of Frankfurt and they also can be used for rides inside the city. Categoriers for local trains in Germany are Regionalbahn (RB) and Regionalexpress (RE). Ferry There is only one ferry line in Frankfurt, it runs in the district Hoechst between the stations Frankfurt-Hoechst Batterie" and Frankfurt-Schwanheim Höchster Weg'". Organisational structure Rapid transit is run by Deutsche Bahn, the national German railroad operator. Light rail and trams are run by the city owned Frankfurt Transit Company (Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt) (abbreviated: VGF). Buses are run by Verkehrsgesellschaft Frankfurt, In Der City Bus, MainMobil Frankfurt, Alpina and Regionalverkehr Kurhessen. The fare structure and distribution between the operators is organised by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund. Station to change to long distance transport Long distance trains stop at the stations Hauptbahnhof (central station), Südbahnhof (south station) as well as Flughafen-Fernbahnhof (airport/ long distance trains) Long distance busses stop at Fernbusbahnhof Frankfurt am Main (long distance bus terminal) as well as busstation Airport Terminal 2'' there is no ferry traffic for long distance services The airport can be reached by lines S8, S9 of S-Bahn Frankfurt as well as citybus line 58 (Frankfurt-Hoechst train station - Airport Terminal 2) Franchises There are currently proposals for a shake-up of the way bus services are run. Instead of being operated by Frankfurt Transit Company, the routes could be split into different franchises for which any European bus operator may tender to run. The organisation offering the cheapest proposal would then be given a contract to run that route for several years. See also Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund Rhine-Main S-Bahn Frankfurt U-Bahn Trams in Frankfurt am Main External