Scenic route
Cusco–Machu Picchu
Cusco → Machu Picchu · Peru
Down the Sacred Valley of the Incas beside the Urubamba rapids: the rails are the only road to Machu Picchu.
How this line was checked
- Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 5646859 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
- Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 4 m from it
- The operator publishes this line's timetable: PeruRail — a place to look it up, not a check of our drawing
- Wikipedia has an article for this line
- See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it
Questions and answers
How long is the Cusco–Machu Picchu?
The Cusco–Machu Picchu runs 92 km from Cusco to Machu Picchu.
How long does the Cusco–Machu Picchu take?
The fastest scheduled journey is ≈ 3 h 30 min for the 92 km. That is an average of 26 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 50 km/h.
Who runs the Cusco–Machu Picchu?
PeruRail, with Vistadome panorama.
How old is the Cusco–Machu Picchu?
The line has been in service since 1928. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.
How high does the Cusco–Machu Picchu climb?
3,486 m above sea level at its highest point.
More scenic routes
- Glacier Express
“The world’s slowest express”: 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the 2,033 m Oberalp Pass at an average of 36 km/h.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bernina Express
A UNESCO World Heritage railway: 7 % grades with no rack, the Brusio spiral, and the highest rail crossing of the Alps at 2,253 m.
Wikipedia ↗ - Bergensbanen
Northern Europe’s highest main line: over the bare Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 m, through 182 tunnels.
Wikipedia ↗ - West Highland Line
Regularly voted the world’s most scenic railway: around Rannoch Moor and over the 21-arch Glenfinnan Viaduct of film fame.
Wikipedia ↗
More train routes in Peru.