The self-standing double-rail earth retaining system has been used in several large-scale excavation projects, though its deformation characteristics remain virtually unknown to the design engineers. This paper briefly introduces the construction and possible mechanism of the double-rail system. Three numerical programs, FLAC, RIDO and TORSA, were used to conduct parametric studies on the earth retaining behavior of the double-rail system. It is found that either increasing the penetration depth or widening the row spacing of rails can reduce the overall deformation of the retaining system. Using large size rail and refraining double-rail with rigid cap beam also help in reducing wall deformation. Two case histories, one successful and the other failed, were also presented to further delineate the use of double-rail system. Lacking design and construction experience of the double-rail system, it is advised that detailed parametric studies be carried out to minimize the possibility of excavation failure.