Today the evacuation work goes on in order to transfer all the tourists from Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes town back to Ollanta and Cuzco, and all tourists must be moved today. Since there is not danger, the helicopter flights may continue but just to provide supplies for the local population.
Regarding the situation of the railway and the immediate future of the visits to Machu Picchu, please note:
The archaeological site of Machu Picchu remains intact, no damage have been caused on the ruins.
The Inca Trail is closed and like every February, will be opened on March 1st as usual. Depending on the railway conditions to return to Ollanta and Cuzco, authorities may decide to open it later.
The buses on the zig-zag road from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu are not working, because the road was completely slippery and with landslides in some areas. There is no regular use since the bridge on the way can’t support any bus. However the cleaning works are in process and the road will be clear very soon, probably just a matter of days.
Yesterday, Feb 28th, the Engineering department of Ferrocarril Transandino S.A. (FTSA), inspected the 122 kilometers which compose the railway connecting Cusco and Machupicchu.
1.- Due to the strong rains occurred in the last days, the Vilcanota River incremented their volume of flow to no-registered levels (1100 m3/second, when maximum registered was 850 m3/second).
2.- The above caused serious damages on the railroad in, at least, 8 critical areas.
3.- In order to re-establish communication with Machu Picchu town by using the railroad, FTSA has determined to restore the tracks in three stages:
Hydroelectric – Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes): The work will last three weeks, to allow the visitors and residents to use bimodal transportation between the area. In order to achieve this objective it will be necessary to restore the road between Santa Teresa and Hidroeléctrica.
Piscacucho (town between Ollantaytanmbo and Hydroelectric) – Machu Picchu town (Aguas Calientes): The work will last seven weeks. This restoration will allow visitors to get to Machu Picchu by using a bimodal transportation also.
Ollantaytambo – Piscacucho (town between Ollantaytanmbo and Hydroelectric): It is panned to archive this work in 8 weeks in order to re-establish the services as regularly known.
4.- It is important to mention that all working plans are subject to weather conditions.
5.- FTSA guaranties to Peruvian authorities, Machu Picchu residents, tour operators, visitors and the community, that FTSA professionals are performing their best efforts to archive the main objectives of the above working plan in order to restore the transportation facilities on the south east railway system.
That means that in the following 8 weeks there will be no train transportation to Machu Picchu. However we are evaluating some other alternatives, like the helicopter system or another alternative routes like Santa Teresa, but we are meeting with local authorities today to see if this alternative is feasible.
In the other hand, because of our commitment to the community, yesterday our Cusco staff and our buses joined the efforts of the City Hall and volunteered to provide transportation and help to some communities around the Cusco area until 10:00 pm.
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