The invention relates to a rail vehicle (1) that can optionally be driven on a road without a railway line, comprising rail wheels (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20; 57, 58, 59, 60) for operating the rail vehicle on rails, road wheels (22, 23; 71, 72, 73, 74) for operating the rail vehicle on a road, wherein the road wheels (22, 23; 71, 72, 73, 74) can be lowered relative to the rail wheels (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20; 57, 58, 59, 60) from an idle position in which the rail vehicle can be operated on rails to a working position in which the rail vehicle can be operated on the road and, in the working position, the road wheels protrude beyond the rail wheels in the direction of the road surface (40), and wherein one or more of the road wheels (101, 101') can be driven by means of one or more driven rail wheel axles (103, 103'). The invention further relates to a method for operating such a rail vehicle on a road. |