The main purpose of the rail is that they regulate the direction of the wheels when moving vehicles, and also assume the pressure of the wheels and transfer it to the parts of the upper path lying lower. As a rule, railway rails are made of steel with a carbon content. The fact that this steel will be of high quality is influenced by many factors - the chemical structure of steel, as well as its micro- and macrostructure. The main indicator of rail quality is its hardness. During the movement of the car, the rolling surface of the wheel is constantly in contact with the rails and is subject to intensive action of various loads. The wheel, in contact with the rail with a small surface, transfers to it large static and dynamic loads. As a result, significant deformations and large contact stresses occur at the place where the wheels touch the rail. In this paper, the hardness of the metal of the rolling surface of the rail of the English company "ArcelorMittal" with the steel mark R350HT and the rail type ENSIDESA 60 E1 [1] is analyzed. The aim of the work is to compare the rails of different brands and identify the most qualitative, as well as the effectiveness of the application of machining. The given researches will allow to define conformity to the standard and operational properties of a rail. The hardness was measured using a portable hardness tester "Krautkramer". The results of the research can be used in the construction of new railway lines and major repairs of existing routes. The research process consisted of three stages: - determination of the hardness of metal on the rolling surface on the Brinell scale of HB polished rails (by Speno) 60 E1, as well as new non-polished rails 60 E1, both in straight and curved sections of the track [2]. - analysis of the results obtained in the course of the study and comparison with the data of the English manufacturer's plant. - conclusion and the main conclusions about the hardness of metal on the rolling surface of rail heads ENSIDESA 60 E1. As a result, the research revealed the advantages of polished rails before new ones. The comparative analysis is presented in the form of a graph.