Rational arrangement of thrust cylinders of shields plays an important role in ensuring the segment erection quality, especially in the case of inclined tunnels. In the paper, the conditions for the optimization of the arrangement of the thrust cylinders of a dualmode shield are analyzed, the principle for the optimization of the thrust cylinders, i.e., uniform force on each individual segment, balanced force on the segment ring and minimum mean square error of force of each zone, are analyzed. The positions and zoning of the thrust cylinders are determined and good results have been achieved. The study can provide reference for the type selection and design of thrust systems of shields of similar projects in the future.