A sleeper pad for securing to at least one outer surface, facing a ballast bed, of a railway sleeper, wherein the sleeper pad has at least one damping layer or consists thereof, characterized in that the damping layer has an EPM index in the range from 10% to 25%, preferably in the range from 10% to 20%, when carrying out a load test, wherein the load test is to be carried out on a test body consisting of the damping layer with a surface of 300mm times 300mm and consists of the following test steps: a) Establishment of at least one test point on the test body at a test-body site against which a contour plate, with a plurality of protrusions, presses against the test body in test step c) with a maximum protrusion of one of the protrusions; b) Determination of an initial thickness D0 of the test body, in the non-loaded state, at the test point in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the test body; c) Compression of the entire test body, not loaded to begin with, within 60 seconds between a plane steel plate and the contour plate, wherein the test body is at the test point compressed to 50% of its initial thickness D0 at the end of the 60 seconds and the contour plate presses against the test body at the test point with the maximum protrusion of the protrusion of the contour plate; d) Continuous maintenance for 12 hours of the test-body compression achieved at the end of the 60 seconds with test step c); e) Ending of the compression and complete removal of loading of the test body within a load removal interval of 5 seconds after expiry of the 12 hours according to test step d); f) Measurement of the current thickness D20 of the test body at the test point 20 minutes after the end of the load removal interval according to test step e), in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the test body according to test step b); g) Calculation of the EPM index from the initial thickness D0 and the current thickness D20 measured in test step f), according to the formula: 100% times (D0-D20)/D0. a) Establishment of at least one test point on the test body at a test-body site against which a contour plate, with a plurality of protrusions, presses against the test body in test step c) with a maximum protrusion of one of the protrusions; b) Determination of an initial thickness D0 of the test body, in the non-loaded state, at the test point in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the test body; c) Compression of the entire test body, not loaded to begin with, within 60 seconds between a plane steel plate and the contour plate, wherein the test body is at the test point compressed to 50% of its initial thickness D0 at the end of the 60 seconds and the contour plate presses against the test body at the test point with the maximum protrusion of the protrusion of the contour plate; d) Continuous maintenance for 12 hours of the test-body compression achieved at the end of the 60 seconds with test step c); e) Ending of the compression and complete removal of loading of the test body within a load removal interval of 5 seconds after expiry of the 12 hours according to test step d); f) Measurement of the current thickness D20 of the test body at the test point 20 minutes after the end of the load removal interval according to test step e), in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the test body according to test step b); g) Calculation of the EPM index from the initial thickness D0 and the current thickness D20 measured in test step f), according to the formula: 100% times (D0-D20)/D0.