A direct braking device of a rail vehicle, in which compressed air is fed from at least one compressed air reservoir into at least one brake cylinder in order to apply the brake and is bled from the at least one brake cylinder in order to release the brake, comprising the following: a) a brake actuating device comprising at least one operating member which adjusts electrical control signals dependent on the position of the operating member, b) a direct electronic braking device in which an electronic control device activates a first control valve device (10, 28, 30) to generate a regulated pneumatic control signal dependent on the electrical control signals adjusted by the brake actuating device, c) a direct electro-pneumatic braking device which generates a further pneumatic control signal from the reservoir pressure of a compressed air reservoir dependent on the control signals adjusted by the brake actuation device and which contains a pressure reduction valve fed by the compressed air reservoir, d) a second control valve device which generates a braking pressure for the at least one brake cylinder from a reservoir pressure derived from a compressed air reservoir dependent on a pneumatic control signal, e) there being provided a switch valve device which forwards the regulated pneumatic control signal of the direct electronic braking device or the further pneumatic control signal of the direct electro-pneumatic braking device to the second control valve device, characterised in that f) the switch valve device contains a solenoid valve which can be activated electrically by the brake actuating device and which connects a control input of the second valve device either directly to a pressure output of the pressure reduction valve or to an output of the first control valve device (10, 28, 30). a) a brake actuating device comprising at least one operating member which adjusts electrical control signals dependent on the position of the operating member, b) a direct electronic braking device in which an electronic control device activates a first control valve device (10, 28, 30) to generate a regulated pneumatic control signal dependent on the electrical control signals adjusted by the brake actuating device, c) a direct electro-pneumatic braking device which generates a further pneumatic control signal from the reservoir pressure of a compressed air reservoir dependent on the control signals adjusted by the brake actuation device and which contains a pressure reduction valve fed by the compressed air reservoir, d) a second control valve device which generates a braking pressure for the at least one brake cylinder from a reservoir pressure derived from a compressed air reservoir dependent on a pneumatic control signal, e) there being provided a switch valve device which forwards the regulated pneumatic control signal of the direct electronic braking device or the further pneumatic control signal of the direct electro-pneumatic braking device to the second control valve device, characterised in that f) the switch valve device contains a solenoid valve which can be activated electrically by the brake actuating device and which connects a control input of the second valve device either directly to a pressure output of the pressure reduction valve or to an output of the first control valve device (10, 28, 30).