The key directions of intensification of the transportation process are described and their influence on the infrastructure is indicated. The concept of long irregularities of the longitudinal profile is defined and a method is proposed that allows one to study the geometric parameters and the growth rate of long irregularities. An assessment of the influence of long irregularities on energy consumption during the traction of trains is given.In the article, much attention is paid to the influence of long irregularities of the longitudinal profile on traffic safety. The article presents the results of the state analysis of the railway track section, where there was a derailment of the freight cars. The results of calculations of the level of forces arising in the automatic coupling and the coefficients of the vertical dynamics of the first stage of suspension for cars in a train when moving uphill along long irregularities are presented. Based on the results of the research, the main conclusions are formulated and the direction of further research is proposed.