Machu Picchu Railroad Repairs Inca Trails News Info - The Inca Rail and Andean Railways reported that the total reopening of " Cuzco Machu Picchu Railway" is scheduled for April 1, 2010.

Tourists will be able to visit Machu Picchu, access to which has been closed since late January due to the heavy rains that damaged the railway that takes people to the Inca citadel, starting later this month, the train service’s operator said on Thursday.

The stretch of railroad between Piscacucho and Aguas Calientes (the town from which one can access Machu Picchu) will open on March 29, before the originally scheduled date of April 1, Ferrocarril Transandino S.A., or FTSA, general manager Romulo Guidino told the official Andina news agency.

The reopening date, however, remains subject to the weather situation.  “In principle, there should not be any problems if the rains are normal and if no event like the one in January occurs, which had not happened for 90 years,” Guidino said.

The FTSA manager said that the greatest damage to the rail line occurred at Km. 79.2, and that is where the reconstruction work will last two more months, so tourists who want to visit the ancient citadel will have to board buses to get to that point, where they will then take the train the rest of the way. The only way to get to Machu Picchu is by railway, since the road does not reach to Aguas Calientes.

To celebrate the partial reopening and the resumption of visits to the country’s main tourist attraction, FTSA will hold a special ceremony on March 29, which officials from Lima and Cuzco, the capital of the province where the Inca site is located, are expected to attend.

This way there are only 10 kilometers left to be repaired in order to start operations in Aguas Calientes-Piscacucho stretch, which is part of the second phase of the programmed works.

When this stretch is finished, tourists can reach Machu Picchu Town by train, from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Piscacucho by bus and from there to Aguas Calientes by train. The third phase of the restoration works includes the Ollantaytambo – Piscacucho stretch.

"The Perurail Andean Explorer Trains" - The railway that connects Cusco and Puno has been restored, allowing one of the most spectacular Peru Rail’s train to reopen its route through the Peruvian Andes and Puno.

On Monday February 22, the Andean Explorer train from Perurail, which runs the Cusco-Puno route, began operating again. This occurs after the railway was damaged due to heavy rains in the south of the country in late January. The railway was repaired by the railroad dealer Transandino S.A.

On Monday, at 8 o'clock in the morning, the Andean Explorer train service started simultaneously from the stations Cusco and Puno, carrying American, English, Thai, Australian, Finnish, Dutch, Italy tourists and even a Peruvian, among others. On a trip that went smoothly, the Andean Explorer train passengers could enjoy the fantastic landscapes that characterize the trip from the Imperial City to the extraordinary Lake Titicaca.

Machu Picchu Airlift Evacuation of Tourists and Residents - The airlift implemented by the Peruvian government to evacuate visitors and residents of Machu Picchu town to Ollantaytambo and Cuzco airport has been completed successfully.  There are no longer any tourists in the area who wish to leave.

Heavy rains causing severe flooding in the Machu Picchu region have caused a series of landslides which severely damaged and eroded railway tracks between Cuzco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu, the only means of vehicular access to the ancient Inca citadel.

PeruRail services are currently suspended and none of the Company’s trains have been able to operate between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu since 23rd January. Engineers from the railway network operator, Ferrocarril Transandino, who because of Peru’s annual rainy season from November to March are experienced in the quick and safe repair of landslide damage, have already begun work to the track between Machu Picchu and Hydroelectrica, a town upriver from Machu Picchu. This route will be reopened within 7-10 days, subject to favourable weather conditions.

FTSA estimates that works to the damaged railway tracks between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu, the traditional access route for tourist and local trains from Cuzco, will be completed in approximately eight weeks, subject to favourable weather conditions.

"The Orient Express Hotel" - The 31 room hotel, the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, was not damaged by the floods. All guests have been evacuated and the hotel remains ready to welcome guests as soon as access to Machu Picchu is reinstated.

"The Hotel Rio Sagrado", in the Sacred Valley, has reopened, having been evacuated when river levels were very high on 26th January. The property was not damaged.