Tunnel

Tunnels were underground passage ways utilised by beings and mechanised equipment for access. They could be naturally occurring geological formations, (TV: Sanctuary) or they could be generated by by beings (like Silurians) at will or dug through physical or mechanised means. (TV: Doctor Who and the Silurians, Frontios)

On the planet Peladon the castle and the mountain surrounding it contained a honeycomb of tunnels, some seemingly constructed to lead into the castle while others were natural formations of the rock. (TV: The Curse of Peladon, The Monster of Peladon)

Likewise the Ice Warriors of Mars had an extensive tunnel network below the surface connecting their cities. (PROSE: GodEngine, The Dying Days) Similarly Metebelis III the Eight Legs' had a complex of tunnels and caverns around which they dwelled. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders)

On the planet Aridius there were tunnels and airlocks connecting one another. Whilst on this planet Ian Chesterton and the First Doctor lured and trapped a Dalek within one of these tunnels. (PROSE: The Chase)

On Gallifrey tunnels were dug with 6 sides - a special number on Gallifrey. (PROSE: The Ancestor Cell)

Rabbits could dig tunnels. (PROSE: Verdigris)

Constructed tunnels

Tunnels were major engineering feats for civilisations to provide basic services like sewerage, water, cabling and mass transit. (PROSE: Reckless Engineering, TV: Attack of the Cybermen, Daleks in Manhattan, PROSE: Seeing I) Modern tunnel construction techniques involved a mechanical borer and spray-on sealant to hold a tunnel together. )PROSE: Tempest) In some cases the grandiose nature of large construction projects like tunnels leads them to be compared to other feats of construction. (PROSE: Molten Heart)

Tunnels utilised for water or sewage carriage or access often smelt of the substances they were being utilised for transport, unpleasantly so. (PROSE: Damaged Goods, The Fall of Yquatine)

In some cases tunnels did not lead anywhere they were dug to gain access for archaeological discovery or exploration or to gain access to a cavern. (PROSE: Doctor Who and the Dæmons,Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders) In locations such as the planet Menaxus the muddy surface meant tunnels could be dug utilising a water cannon. (PROSE: Theatre of Qar)

Railway tunnels

Underground railway tunnels were constructed often below cities for mass-transit networks, these tunnels were extremely long lived, often existing beyond city's lifespan. (TV: The Mysterious Planet, Orphan 55)

London, Novosibirsk, Paris and Madrid were three cities on Earth that utilised underground tunnels for their railway network. (TV: The Web of Fear, Orphan 55, City of Death, PROSE: History 101)

Other railway tunnels were constructed that allowed railway vehicles passage while remaining level such as from one side of a mound to another, or through another constructed area or locale. (TV: Day of the Daleks, Flatline, PROSE: Special Weapons)

On Tempest the monorail travelled through laser cut tunnels. (PROSE: Tempest)

The channel tunnel one Earth transversed a large body of water – the English Channel carrying railway vehicles. (PROSE: The Blue Angel, Trading Futures)

In some cases the soil make up of a planet made conventional tunnelling unsuitable, however one civilsation the Byrinthians constructed a rail network that constructed the tunnel, and the carriages themselves from the rock that it was passing through. (AUDIO: Burrowed Time)

Roadway tunnels

The Motorway on New Earth was a large sealed tunnel. (TV: Gridlock)

Other access tunnels

There were several tunnels below both the Thal and Kaled domes that exited into the wastelands. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)

Maintenance access tunnels

To provide access for maintenance duties on research and other related bases maintenance tunnels were often located below the main working space of the base. (TV: The Satan Pit)

On spacecraft these were known as access tunnels. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad, The Dimension Riders)

Mining

Tunnels were dug below the surface of a planet for the purposes of mining minerals. (TV: The Green Death), the disused tunnels were often repurposed. (PROSE: Parallel 59)

Prior to the Thal-Dalek battle, the Daleks of the Dalek City, seeking to colonise Skaro, mined tunnels leading out from the incubation level. In the cycles after the battle, the Dalek Supreme ordered a tunnel that reached as far as the petrified jungle to be extended to reach the power generator of the Thal City. (AUDIO: Return to Skaro)

During the 2150s Dalek invasion of Earth the Daleks tunnelled into the Earth's core, using physical slave labour without the use of machines. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth) Following the invasion many of these tunnels remained, some covered with blast doors to seal away any remaining Dalek technology. (PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks)

Protection

During disasters and other natural or military-driven events tunnels, both constructed and natural were utilised by populations for protection from the elements and attacks. (PROSE: The Year of Intelligent Tigers)

Artificial tunnels

Artificial tunnels or non-permanent tunnels could be constructed from flexible plastics to allow safe access to areas or structures without exposure to exterior or hazardous environments. (PROSE: Eternity Weeps, The Monsters Inside)

An airlock tunnel was utilised by two spacecraft when docking to bridge the gaps between their respective docking ports/airlocks. (PROSE: Shakedown, Zamper) These were sometimes known as "boarding tubes". (PROSE: Original Sin) These could also be used on the surface of a planet between a spacecraft and access to it on land. (TV: Terror of the Zygons)

A tunnel could also be constructed from normal space through to a craft moored in hyperspace. (PROSE: Original Sin)

Simulation tunnels

Some tunnels were created to simulate air flow, these were known as "wind tunnels" and utilised large movements of air to simulate wind movement. (PROSE: The Pit, Last of the Gaderene)

See also

Passages through space and time are sometimes referred to as "time tunnels" or "vortex tunnels" along with Space-time tunnels and Time corridors. (TV: The Horns of Nimon, Resurrection of the Daleks, PROSE: Human Nature,Lungbarrow, The Shadows of Avalon)

Compassion viewed the space-time vortex as a tunnel when she travelled through it. (PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon)

The time vortex was sometimes described as a "butterfly tunnel". (PROSE: Timewyrm: Revelation, Human Nature)

Artificial wormholes were described by Larna as "a tunnel that leads into the far future". (PROSE: The Infinity Doctors)

Hyperspace tunnels were a method of interstellar travel that could enable people to arrive in a clandestine manner. (PROSE: Hope)