The use of recycled material is a new tendency in the field of railway engineering. Steel Slag Aggregates (SSA) are one of the recycled materials derived from the steel industry. The application of SSA in ballasted railway tracks requires mechanical examination. In the present paper, the shear behavior of the ballast layer constructed by SSA and basalt aggregates was considered to assess the use of SSA as a substitution for basalt. In this regard, a series of large-direct shear tests were performed on basalt and SSA under various normal stresses. Based on the results, basalt aggregates have higher shear resistance than SSA for all normal stress. However, steel slag has sufficient shear strength as well as particle abrasion resistance. Overall, it was proven that the SSA has suitable stability against a shear forces that could be applied on railway ballast.