Abstract: A ballast tamping tool for attachment to a reciprocating tamping drive of a ballast tamping machine comprises a shaft having an upper end affixed to the tamping drive and a tamping blade detachably mounted on a lower end of the shaft. A plug-in, form-fitting connection detachably connects the tamping blade to a lower end of the shaft, the detachable connection defining a recess behind the rear surface of the tamping blade and comprising a plug projecting from the lower shaft end and being offset therefrom by a step to form a shoulder, the upper tamping blade edge extending at least partially along, and axially adjacent, the shoulder, and a connecting part at the rear tamping blade surface form-fittingly connecting the tamping blade to the plug.