There are three main forward selection schemes of line for the Xiaxindian-Yunmeng section of the Shanghai-Wuhan- Chengdu Railway

in which some parts would be located on the earth surface under which there are big salt stoped-out cavities for the scheme of small straight line and the scheme of reconstructing along the old line. The effects of time and space of the salt cavities would produce a harmful influence on the stability of the rockmasses on which the railway will be built. In order to select the right line scheme

the mechanical state of the concerned areas with salt stoped-out cavities should be studied quantitatively. So the 2D and 3D elastoplastic finite element computations are carried out for the stability of the relative rock masses against the typical sections of B52 and B63 mine areas through which the railway might pass; and the displacement distributions and plastic zones in the strata are obtained; and the settlements of the earth surfaces over the salt stoped-out cavities and the embankments are analyzed emphatically. Finally

the conclusions which could be used for the decision of line scheme are given taking the allowable settlement values of railway embankment as the control targets.