Railway ballast is an important part of the track support structure. Knowing the extent (condition)rnand performance of the ballast is essential in the railway service in order to anticipate andrnprolong ballast life, hence decreasing maintenance costs and ensuring a good ballast layer.rnfouling is recorded as the main reason for ballasted track settlement and high maintenance costsrnand the main reason for fouling is ballast degradation The major goal of this thesis is to assessrnthe level of ballast degradation on the Sebeta-Adama railway line, which is part of the EthioDjiboutirnRailwayrnlinernandrnincludesrnthernsolerndoublerntrackrnsegmentrnwithrndesignrnspeedsrnofrn(120rnandrnrn70)km/hrnrnfor passengers and freight trains, respectively. For this study, eight locations werernchosen based on access and the criticality of the area, all laboratory test material was collectedrnalong railway track at 8 distinct sites (chainages) at the stations of (02+800, 17+400, 35+00,rn56+300, 67+687, 70+280, 93+500, 112+800). And the evaluation was conducted usingrnlaboratory tests such as sieve analysis, Los Angeles abrasion test, Flakiness and elongation Index,rnand Fouling index, as well as design and as-built data reviewed. Ballast particles are classified asrnflaky when they have a thickness (smallest dimension) of less than 0.6 of their mean sieve size, thisrnsize is taken as the mean of the limiting sieve apertures used for determining the size fraction inrnwhich the particle occurs. The ballast material grading is discovered within the designed range ofrn63-16 mm, standard sieves except at location 93+500, according to the test results. However, thernmaterials going through each sieve are found to be above or below the specified limit in thisrnrange. The elongation and flakiness index of the particles also shows a considerable rise in flakyrnand elongated particles, indicating there is practice breakage. The findings of the fouling indexrntest indicate that the ballast bed is relatively clean. According to the field inspection, the newrnmaterials used for ballast maintenance do not match the standards, and some of the crossingrnplaces are more susceptible to fouling from external sources. Because the line is intended for bothrnfreight and passenger trains, freight trains had not been operating for more than a year, implyingrnthat the loads applied to the track (ballast) were lower than the predicted operation load. Onlyrntrack geometry conditions were used to maintain the line. That is, it does not reflect thernmechanical state of the ballast or the possibility of ballast degradation. To minimize unexpectedrntrack breakdown owing to significant ballast degradation, a proper maintenance plan andrninvestigation should be implemented.