Fretting is a kind of surface damage mechanism observed in mechanically jointed components and structures. The initial crack under fretting damage occurs at lower stress amplitude and lower cycles of cyclic loading than that under plain fatigue condition. This can be observed in automobile and railway vehicle, fossil and nuclear power plant, aircraft etc. In the present study, railway axle material RSA1 used for evaluation of fretting fatigue life. Plain and fretting fatigue tests were carried out using rotary bending fatigue tester with proving ring and bridge type contact pad. Through these experiments, it is found that the fretting fatigue limit decreased about 37% compared to the plain fatigue limit. In fretting fatigue, the wear debris is observed on the contact surface, and oblique cracks at an earlier stage are initiated in contact area. These results can be used as useful data in a structural integrity evaluation of railway axle.