To provide a shock absorbing structure for a railway vehicle capable of relaxing the shock transmitted to a rear vehicle body side by gradually absorbing impact energy in collision and also easily performing design in response to various collision conditions.

A shock absorbing member formed by combining a plurality of pipes having different projection length from a base frame is projectedly provided on a front end of the base frame of the railway vehicle in a rail direction. Especially, as the shock absorbing member, one having a multi-pipe structure in which a pipe 13 of a small diameter is coaxially inserted into a pipe 12 of a large diameter, and in which notch parts 12a, 13a provided on a distal end opening edge respectively is optimum.