16 March 2010
Machu Picchu rail service
On 15 March, Peru Rail announced its timetable for the rail service to Machu Picchu. This is scheduled to resume on 29 March. The Peruvian National Institute of Culture has announced that the ruins of Machu Picchu will reopen on 1 April.
This will be starting the journey further along the railway line than usual, with the first part of the journey to Piscacucho (kilometre 82 of the railway line) made by road. The journey from Piscacucho to Machu Picchu will be made by train. The total journey time from Cusco to Machu Picchu should be approximately as normal and people will be able to visit Machu Picchu as normal. Nevertheless, the last 5 to 10 kilometres of the road to Piscacucho are single track and bumpy, so it may be necessary to allow extra time for this part of the journey. Peru Rail will be operating the coach for the road journey between Cusco and Piscacucho.
Due to the landslides, some rolling stock has been cut off from the operational part of the railway line. Therefore, capacity for the train journey to Machu Picchu is expected to be lower than usual, although we have been advised that existing reservations will be honoured for the train journey.
It is expected that the Inca Trail and the Short Inca Trail will also reopen on 1 April, although the Peruvian National Institute of Culture has yet to make an announcement about this.
The railway line is expected to reopen from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu in May. The route from Poroy (the closest train station to Cusco) to Machu Picchu is expected to reopen in June.
Currently, there are no alternative methods of getting to Machu Picchu and it is unlikely that there will be other ways of getting to Machu Picchu before the railway line is repaired.
Llama Travel is contacting passengers due to visit Machu Picchu in March and early April in case they wish to postpone their trip to Peru to a later date.
We will update this information when we receive more details.
Peru Rail also provide information on its own website:
www.perurail.com
More information
Heavy rains in the Machu Picchu area caused landslides on the railway line between Cusco and Machu Picchu on Sunday 24 January, which cut off access to Machu Picchu, which can only be reached by train or on foot. This resulted in tourists in the town of Aguas Calientes, below the ruins of Machu Picchu, unable to return to Cusco. The Peruvian authorities provided helicopters to transport people out of Aguas Calientes. The last remaining tourists left Aguas Calientes on 29 January.
Work reconstructing the railway line started on 3 February. The repairs on the railway line from Machu Picchu to Santa Teresa were completed on 11 February, a few days ahead of the initial date proposed for this section to be repaired. This route would provide an alternative access to Machu Picchu. However, road access from Cusco to Santa Teresa is not expected to be possible until late April. Therefore, this route is not likely to be available for access to Machu Picchu.
January is the middle of the rainy season in the Andes of southern Peru, and heavy rains are common. Disruption to transportation can happen at this time of the year, although the rains this year have been particularly strong, and the disruption to the railway line is very unusual.
Llama Travel does not operate to Peru from December to mid March, the peak of the rainy season.