The station code used today is colloquially called the DS 100 code, named after the original papers of the Deutsche Bundesbahn laying out the system, the DS 100, Abkürzungen der Betriebsstellen; nowadays called Richtlinie (Ril) 100, Abkürzungen für Örtlichkeiten.
Every code specifies abbreviation, name and type of the station.
The code is set up as follows: where X denotes the Bundesbahndirektion (BD) in West Germany or Reichsbahndirektion (Rbd) in East Germany and prior to 1949, and YYYY is the code of the station itself, which can be up to four letters.
Although some of the Direktionen have been merged into others, changed, or otherwise remodeled, their old codes remained in place.
Letters C, G, I, J, O, P, Q, V and Y are assigned for facilities of DB Energie (e.g. filling stations) and DB Netz (e.g. changes of VzG lines) or other foreign locations for planning purposes.