PeruRail

PeruRail
Locale	Peru
Predecessor	Ferrocarril del Sur (ENAFER)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (eastern) 914 mm (3 ft)  (western)
Website	http://www.perurail.com

PeruRail train at Agues Calientes

PeruRail is a railway operator working tourist, freight, and charter services in southern Peru.

The main line between the port of Matarani, Arequipa (the capital of this region is Peru's second city), Cuzco and Puno on Lake Titicaca was formerly known as the Ferrocarril del Sur (Peru Southern Railway), and was for a time owned and operated by the ENAFER state company. It is the second highest railway in the world after the Qingzang railway to Tibet.

From Cuzco, PeruRail provides passenger services on the 3 ft  (914 mm) gauge Ferrocarril Santa Ana to Aguas Calientes, delivering tourists for Machu Picchu.

It operates in a 50-50 venture with Orient-Express Hotels and Peruvian partners, namely Lorenzo Sousa Debarbieri.^[1]

Route description

Perurail's routes are divided into two sections; there are no tracks through Cuzco.

The line between Cuzco and Machu Picchu is a 3 ft  (914 mm) narrow gauge line, while all other the lines are standard gauge 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm).

The Cuzco to Machu Picchu route, Ferrocarril Santa Ana, boasts a series of five switchbacks called locally 'El Zig-Zag', which enable the train to climb up the steep incline out of Cuzco before it can begin its descent to the Sacred Valley and then continue down to Machu Picchu. However, this section of the route is currently suspended, and all trains to Machu Picchu leave from Poroy, just outside Cuzco, instead.

From Poroy, the narrow-gauge line goes northwest to Ollantaytambo, where the branch from Urubamba joins, then on to Machu Picchu station in Aguas Calientes. Tracks formerly continued into the jungle, but they were destroyed by recent flooding.

The Cuzco-Puno tracks, formerly Ferrocarril del Sur, start at Matarani port, go through Arequipa and enter Puno Region, where the line splits in two at Juliaca. The eastern branch goes to Puno; the western branch runs into Cuzco.

Currently the only legal way to depart Machu Picchu (actually from the town, Aguas Calientes) is by train; hiking along the train tracks is prohibited. There are no roads from the town and helicopter services have been suspended indefinitely. In addition to the train, visitors can reach Machu Picchu via several inbound hiking trails, including the Classic Trail (four-day trek) from Cuzco, but there is no hiking back the other way on the Inca Trail.

Passenger routes

Cusco to Machu Picchu

As of July 2011^[update], there are five passenger routes:

• Poroy-Machu Picchu
• Poroy-Machu Picchu (Hiram Bingham)
• Ollantaytambo-Machu Picchu
• Urubamba-Machu Picchu
• Cuzco-Puno

Most trains to Machu Picchu operate from Ollantaytambo; there are three times per day to/from Poroy and one to/from Urubamba.^[2]

The following passenger routes are no longer operated:

• Arequipa-Juliaca
• Cuzco-Arequipa (via Juliaca)
• Cuzco-Machu Picchu

Trains

On the route from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, PeruRail transports the vast majority of visitors and provides several different services.^[3]

The Hiram Bingham Pullman, named for Machu Picchu's American discoverer, Hiram Bingham, is the highest service. It departs from Poroy at 9 a.m., later than other departures. Meals, guides, bus service and entrance to the ruins are included.

PeruRail Vistadome car interior

Other services include Vistadome services provided by 1965 vintage German Ferrostaal refurbished railcars with large side and overhead windows, allowing views of the mountainous terrain, complete with at-seat refreshments included, and Expedition trains which offer basic service in upholstered seats at a lower price. Snacks are sold and space is provided for backpacks, particularly for Inca Trail hikers.

Although not advertised, PeruRail also offers local trains equipped with wooden seats and that are available only to Peruvian nationals for a fraction of the price charged for tourists.

First class service is also offered on the Andean Explorer train from Cuzco to Puno in refurbished coaches that include dining cars and an open-air observation bar car.

The interiors of the First Class coaches on the Cuzco to Lake Titicaca trains were designed by James Park & Associates, the same company who designed the elegant First Class cabins for Singapore Airlines. The actual work, however, was done in Cuzco by Cusquenian workers. After the refurbishment was completed, a traditional ceremony 'Pago a la Tierra' (payment to Mother Earth), an Andean tradition, was organised to 'bless' the train. A local shaman presided over the ceremony, which involved many traditional rites.

Cuzco-Lake Titicaca

PeruRail train from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca stops at La Raya pass

At its highest point, La Raya pass 14°28′59″S 70°59′20″W / 14.48306°S 70.98889°W / -14.48306; -70.98889 (La Raya), the altitude is 4,313 m (14,150 ft). The train makes a stop in La Raya pass where there is an exquisite view over all the plains to the snowcapped mountains, and a beautiful old chapel, standing all alone in the middle of the Andean plateau.

Freight

PeruRail runs daily freight services between the port of Matarani, the city of Arequipa, and the Andean cities of Juliaca, Puno, and Cuzco. Under PeruRail's administration the tonnage transported increased from 460,000 tons during 1999, 573,000 tons in 2000 to 639,000 tons during 2001.

The main products transported by PeruRail are fuel, wheat (for Peruvian and Bolivian consumption), coal, cement, soya flour from Bolivia, coffee, beer and non-alcoholic beverages.

Shipping

The car float Manco Capac operates across Lake Titicaca between PeruRail's railhead at Puno and the port of Guaqui in Bolivia. PeruRail also owns the former ferry SS Ollanta, which was launched on Lake Titicaca in 1931. Ollanta is now refurbished for tourist cruises and PeruRail has leased her out for charter work.

External links

• Main website in Spanish and English
• PeruRail Timetables
• Ladatco Tours
• Peru Rail Map
• Brief historical summary of the railroads in Peru

See also

• Iperu, tourist information and assistance
• Tourism in Peru
• Rail transport in Peru
• Transport in Peru
• Kashmir Railway
• Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Further reading

• Whetham, Robert D. (2008). Railways of Peru. Volume 2 – The Central and Southern Lines. Bristol: Trackside Publications. ISBN 978-1-900095-37-2. 
• Daniel Thomas (June-July 2002). "Cuzco to Machu Picchu". Latin Tracks 9: 16–22. 

References

1. ^ Stock.us.reuters.com – retrieved November 8, 2007.
2. ^ Perurail timetables
3. ^ www.orient-express.com– retrieved November 9, 2007.