Abstract: During the construction of Nanjing-Xian railway, engineering geological investigations revealed that tectonic fractures were developed in Neozoic lacustrine clays, off-loading fractures formed in Medie-Pleistocene alluvial or diluvial clays, whereas shrinking fractures occurred in Holoence alluvial or lacustrine clays. These fractures control types of slope failures, their scales and characteristics along the railroad trench. Special engineering measures were recommended and adopted to deal with slope engineering problems, and are proved effective in reducing such geological hazards.