The Institute for Railway Engineering and Transport Economics concerns itself with the overall system railway. Main points of work are thereby alignment, in further consequence feasibility studies of new railway connections, like also public transport systems, with solutions of the logistic problems arising with it, vehicles under special view of the wheel-rail-contact, basic research in the range of the ballast bed and not at least studies on transport economics. At the institute constantly appraisals on national and international level for authorities in different managements as well as for public traffic enterprises and private companies are accomplished. A laboratory is attached to the institute, where various test devices for investigations at ballasted track and/or in the vehicle sector are present: static and dynamic shear-machines, Deval equipment for crushed stone abrasion determination, impact testing set for derailing simulation with concrete sleepers, testing equipment for measuring various figures concerning superstructure of track as well as vehicle bogies. Life-cycle-cost analises are carried out for the Austrian Federal Railways in order to develop optimised maintenace and investment strategies for permanent way. Short Description: The Institute for Railway Engineering and Transport Economy is engaged in the whole field of railway technology as well as in economic railway questions. The main topics are feasibility studies on new railway connections as well as on public transport systems including the problems of connecting links and their logistics based on the alignment of the line, guided vehicles under special observation of the rail-wheel interaction, basic sciences in the field of underlayer of ballast und furthermore transport economical questions. Additionally expert opinions on national as well as on international level are provided, mainly for authorities of different administrative sections, but also for public transport operators and private companies.