The adjusting principle of settlement on the cushion and the design theory of pile-plank composite foundation were studied. Tow kinds of designs on pile-plank composite foundation were conducted on the Wuqing section of operated Beijing-Tianjin intercity railway. The change characters of settlement-time-load and stress-time-load were contrastively analyzed in the different depthes of reinforcement layer and subjacent bed. The result shows that when the cushion is placed bellow the plank of the foundation, the pore pressure and displacement of reinforcement layer at the level of pile are larger, while the total displacement and post-construction settlement of subjacent bed are relatively smaller. Which indicates that the bearing capacity and consolidation degree of soil among piles increase significantly by inserting the cushion, and the post-construction settlement is more restricted. 1 tab, 6 figs, 10 refs.