Purpose: approaches to the maintenance of the railway track play a significant role in the interaction between the track and the rolling stock. The analysis [1–10] shows that existing methods for assessing the impact of rolling stock on the track have not completely resolved the issues of taking into account the residual deformation of the track, which does not allow us to have the most complete understanding of the ongoing interactions and processes between the railway track and the rolling stock in real operating conditions. In developing the issue of the need to take into account the residual deformation of the track, deviations in the geometry of the rail track in the profile, the article considers the “intrinsic” stresses in the track that are not under the influence of any load, arising as a result of the operation of a railway track with deviations in its contents. Methods: statistical analysis of the accumulation of residual deformations of a section of the railway track, review of existing methods for assessing the impact of rolling stock on the track, simulation modeling of the stress-strain state of the rail. Results: an analysis of the accumulation of residual deformations of a section of the railway track, a review of existing methods for assessing the impact of rolling stock on the track, modeling of the stress-strain state of a rail under load in two states (straight beam, curved beam) were carried out. Practical significance: the results can be applied when solving the problem of interaction between rolling stock and the railway track.