Route Description
PeruRail's routes are divided into two sections; there are no tracks through Cusco.
The line between Cusco 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 Cusco 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 Cusco 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 Cusco, 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 Cusco-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 Cusco.
Currently it is possible to reach Machu Picchu (actually from the town, Aguas Calientes) by train; hiking along the train tracks is prohibited. Reaching Agua Calientes is also possible by bus from Cuzco until Santa Maria, then by taxi until La Hydroelectrica and finally by walking for 2 hours to Agua Calientes. Taking train from Hydroelectrica to Agua Calientes is also possible. 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 Cusco, but there is no hiking back the other way on the Inca Trail.
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