Funiculaire Perce-Neige, Underground funicular in Val Claret, Tignes, France

The Funiculaire Perce-Neige is an entirely underground funicular in Tignes, Savoie, running from the hamlet of Val-Claret at 2,100 m to the foot of the Grande Motte glacier at 3,032 m. Its single-track tunnel is 3,490 m long, the longest funicular in France, with a short twin-tunnel section mid-line where the two trains pass. Each vehicle is made of two cylindrical wagons built by CFD, 31.6 m long and 3.55 m wide, weighing 32 tonnes empty.

Two four-seat cable cars reached the Grande Motte glacier from 1969, but by the late 1980s their capacity was insufficient. The STGM chose a fully underground funicular; geological studies were done in 1987, tunnelling ran from 13 December 1989 to 1 October 1991, and the first car arrived by lorry on 18 June 1992. It entered service on 14 April 1993 and the old cable cars were dismantled.

The name Perce-Neige is a pun: perce-neige is French for the snowdrop flower, but read literally it means "snow-piercer", fitting a line that runs entirely inside the mountain. The two trains were built by CFD and delivered by truck to Tignes on 18 and 26 June 1992, ahead of the 14 April 1993 opening.

The ride takes about seven minutes and moves continuously even during busy periods. Since the entire route is inside the mountain, it operates reliably regardless of weather conditions.

The name Perce-Neige is a pun: it is French for the snowdrop flower, but read literally it means "snow-piercer", fitting a line that runs entirely inside the mountain. The two trains, built by CFD, each consist of two cylindrical cars 31.6 m long and 3.55 m wide, weighing 32 tonnes empty.