Tunnel - Coasterpedia - The Roller Coaster Wiki

A train leaving Steel Force's tunnel

A tunnel is a feature found on many roller coasters where a section of track is enclosed in a structure, or underground. Some tunnels have lighting effects, while others are kept in complete darkness.

Over-ground tunnels[edit | edit source]

Most tunnels are built above ground, mostly because they are cheaper to build and easier to maintain. Over-ground tunnels often have lighting effects.

Underground tunnels[edit | edit source]

As the name suggests, an underground tunnel is a segment of track built below the ground level of the roller coaster, and sometimes the park. These are often made out of concrete, and, depending on the intended atmosphere of the ride, may be lit or un-lit. Also, tunnels can go underwater, an example is Anaconda at Kings Dominion.

Oblivion at Alton Towers has one of, if not the deepest underground tunnel in a roller coaster.

Roller coaster descriptions
Basic elements	Brake run • Station
Advanced elements	Bunny hill • Headchopper • Inversions • Pre-Drop • Tunnel
Propulsion	Lift hill (Cable • Catch car • Chain • Electric spiral • Elevator • Ferris wheel • Friction wheel • Spiral) Powered launch (Cable • Counterweight • Friction wheel • Flywheel • Compressed air launch • Electric winch launch • Hydraulic • LIM • LSM)
Technology	Block brakes • Car • On-ride camera • On-ride soundtrack • Test seat • Train • Track • Transfer track • Wheel assembly
Other	Chicken exit • Exclusive ride time • POV • Queue line • Rollback • Theming

Thrill elements
Inverting	Banana roll • Barrel roll • Barrel roll downdrop • Batwing • Bent cuban eight • Bowtie • Butterfly • Cobra loop • Cobra roll • Corkscrew • Cutback • Demonic Knot • Dive drop • Dive loop • Dive stall • Diving turn • Dog tongue • Double inverting stall • Drachen fire dive drop • Finnish loop • Fly to lie / Lie to fly • Flying snake dive • Heartline roll • Immelmann • Inclined dive loop • Inclined loop • Inclined roll • In-line twist • Interlocking corkscrews • Interlocking loops • Lagoon roll • Maxx dive loop • Negative-g stall loop • Norwegian loop • Over-banked inversion • Pretzel knot • Pretzel loop • Raven turn • Reverse cobra roll • Reverse sidewinder • Roll out • Roll over • Saxophone • Scorpion tail • Sea Serpent • Sidewinder • SkyLoop • Step-up under flip • Tongue • Top-Gun stall • Twisted horseshoe roll • Twisted in-line rollback • Vertical loop • Wing over • Wraparound corkscrew • Zero-g roll • Zero-g stall • Zero-g winder
Non-inverting	Airtime twist • Banked tilt • Camelback circle • Dark/Show section • Donut hole • Double down • Elephant trunk • Fly-through station • Hairpin dive • Hammerhead turn • Helix • High five • Hill • Horseshoe • Kickflip • Non-inverted loop • Octopus arm • Over-banked curve • Over-banked pretzel knot • Pretzel curve • S-curve • Shark tail • Slide track • Splashdown • Splash effect • Splash track • Stengel dive • Switch track • Tilt section • Trick track • Triple dip • Tunnel • Turntable • Twisted arch • Twisted dive • Twisted top hat • Vertical drop track • Vertical rollback • Vertical spiral • Wagon wheel • Water brakes • Water channel • Wave turn
Variable	Jr. Immelmann • Jr. Scorpion tail • Top hat