Up to 2025 operations at the network of the Northern Railway (a subsidiary of JSC Russian Railways) may increase according to forecasts by 28,4 %, which is associated with construction of the Northern latitudinal railway. At the same time, a significant part of the Northern Railway is characterized by difficult climatic conditions: permafrost, polygonal-vein ice, peat bog areas, sharp temperature drops, significant amounts of precipitation in the form of snow. In the context of the planned increase in cargo intensity, the diagnostics of the roadbed in the zone of distribution of soils with weak bearing capacity against the backdrop of global climate change is of key character. The article is devoted to survey of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. The results of diagnostics of the state of the railway track make it possible to forecast the state of railway infrastructure facilities, to categorize subsidence of the roadbed according to the degree of danger, and to develop measures for its stabilization. The objective of the work is to study the factors affecting degradation of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. The methods of the work are based on field examinations of «sick» places of the roadbed and statistical forms of analysis of longitudinal profile deformations (subsidence) of the track. The result of this work is the study of influence of a number of factors on dev elopment of deformations of the roadbed located in the permafrost zone. In the future, it is planned, based on the results of diagnostics of the state of the railway track, to forecast the permafrost state of railway infrastructure facilities, to categorize subsidence of the roadbed according to the degree of danger, and to develop measures to stabilize it.