The composite lining is intended to be stiff and strong, based on the current design guidance, to carry the designated load alone in the long-term operation. However, according to the latest research, the temporary support is supposed to carry load even under the undesired circumstance of serious deterioration, and it is contentious whether thicker lining is favorable for tunnel durability or not. A series of model tests were conducted in this study, therefore, to develop the correlation between lining stiffness and tunnel durability. In the tests, the test box, consisting of surrounding earth, temporary support and lining, is considered as an integrated structure to carry the load transferred from the upper, through which composite lining is represented. Eight conditions were designed by changing the stiffness of the temporary support and the lining. The test results from experimental data analysis (e.g. failure process, lining displacement and internal force) show that the more flexible the lining is and the stiffer the temporary support is, the more durable the condition becomes At the same time, the imperfect contact between the temporary support and the lining greatly weakens the carrying capacity of the whole structure.