Method for monitoring a railway track , the method comprising: - detecting a first monitoring signal (M1) by a distributed acoustic sensor at an initial position while a rail vehicle passes the initial position , wherein the distributed acoustic sensor is arranged along the track , - detecting a second monitoring signal (M2) by the distributed acoustic sensor at at least one predefined position along the track while a rail vehicle passes the predefined position , - comparing the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2) with each other, wherein - the first monitoring signal (M1) comprises features that each relate to one axle of the rail vehicle passing the initial position , wherein each feature of the first monitoring signal (M1) is detected during the passage of one of the axles of the passing rail vehicle at the initial position , and the second monitoring signal (M2) comprises features that each relate to one axle of the rail vehicle passing the predefined position , wherein each feature of the second monitoring signal (M2) is detected during the passage of one of the axles of the passing rail vehicle at the predefined position , - comparing the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2) with each other comprises counting the features relating to axles of the respective passing rail vehicle for the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2), and - the distributed acoustic sensor comprises an optical fibre arranged along the track and the monitoring signals are backscattered signals of an input signal which is provided to the optical fibre . - detecting a first monitoring signal (M1) by a distributed acoustic sensor at an initial position while a rail vehicle passes the initial position , wherein the distributed acoustic sensor is arranged along the track , - detecting a second monitoring signal (M2) by the distributed acoustic sensor at at least one predefined position along the track while a rail vehicle passes the predefined position , - comparing the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2) with each other, wherein - the first monitoring signal (M1) comprises features that each relate to one axle of the rail vehicle passing the initial position , wherein each feature of the first monitoring signal (M1) is detected during the passage of one of the axles of the passing rail vehicle at the initial position , and the second monitoring signal (M2) comprises features that each relate to one axle of the rail vehicle passing the predefined position , wherein each feature of the second monitoring signal (M2) is detected during the passage of one of the axles of the passing rail vehicle at the predefined position , - comparing the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2) with each other comprises counting the features relating to axles of the respective passing rail vehicle for the first monitoring signal (M1) and the second monitoring signal (M2), and - the distributed acoustic sensor comprises an optical fibre arranged along the track and the monitoring signals are backscattered signals of an input signal which is provided to the optical fibre . <EOS>