Trying to Get the Highest Train in the World Back

[Anonymous]

The Lima to Huancayo railway through the Central Andes of Peru is one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century. This masterpiece was the project of over 10 000 Peruvians, Chileans, Chinese; a clever Polish engineer known as Malinowsky; and Henry Meiggs, a crazy entrepreneur whose passion convinced the Government to make this dream a reality. The railway line from Lima to Huancayo took nearly 40 years to complete. From 1870 to 1908, the railway witnessed blood, sweat and tears, as many people sacrificed their lives to give the Central Andes this special service.

The ruling grade of the Central Railway is about 4 ½ degrees. Along its length of 335 km, it traverses 66 tunnels, 59 bridges and 9 zigzags where the steep mountainside permits no other way of negotiating the course. The track’s highest point is at La Galera at 4781m, the world’s highest train station on a standard gauge track. Railway buffs may like to know that the last Andes type 2-8-0 steam locomotive, No 206, is still in working order, although is usually locked in a shed in Huancayo. It was built specifically for this route in 1953 by Beyer Peacocks of Manchester.

The thrilling experience of riding on the "Highest Train in the World" has been, bar a short period from July 1998 to June 1999, unavailable since 1991, when terrorists blew up the bridge known as Mal Paso (near Jauja). This action was used as the reason for stopping the train service from Lima to the Mantaro Valley.

All passenger traffic now goes by road, but the train is still holds strong historical, economical and cultural significance in Huancayo for residents and visitors alike. It is our aim to bring the train back to life, to the place and with the people to whom it belongs - those who travel the Central Highlands.

Here at Incas del Peru in Huancayo, we have been working tirelessly towards this goal through strong lobbying and international campaigning. We´d like to thank all of you who have helped us out with your interest and support, and we are happy to say that we have been making great progress. We are currently aiming to have the train running by July of this year. We still have a few hurdles to get over, however. Here’s the latest news:

Since leaving our office in the old train station in Lima, we have been bound and determined never to give up the game! We have insisted and persisted in gaining attention from a variety of people and organizations. Finally, this year, the awful highway conditions from Lima to Huancayo have helped us to get our private and state institutions to band together and to take action.

We went to Lima and talked to Jaime Blanco, the manager of Ferrovias Central Andinas, and made an official request to rent passenger service for ARAVIT Junin, an association of travel agents in the Central Andes. The next day we got our answer: it would cost us US$18,000 for one trip to Huancayo with 380 seats!

This is a lot of money by Peruvian standards; BUT some years ago we put the same request to the state-run company that existed at the time. Coincidentally, Jaime Blanco was the Commercial Department Manager at the time, so we pulled out the old paperwork and asked him why he was now quoting us so much more for the same service. He responded with a new proposal of $13,000.

Of course, this is still a lot of money, but we are sure we can manage it with some help and support from all of us who are determined to see the return of the train. This is what we are proposing:

We should get the train going to Huancayo on July 27th. This is a National Holiday and many Peruvians travel to Huancayo and the Central Andes at this time of the year. Ideally, we will organize a public event to attract visitors from Lima. For example, we can host a Folk-Rock and Afro Music Festival in the Old Train Station here in Huancayo.

ARAVIT is an excellent group of agents to coordinate such an event, being highly motivated to promote tours in the Mantaro Valley. In addition to selling train and concert tickets, we can offer a package deal that includes the train tickets, tours, food and lodging, as well as passes to the multicultural event or concert.

At this juncture, our main concern is how to finance this venture… Is there anybody out there who can assist us in some way?

We have sent a letter to President Toledo by way of some of his close associates, but have received no answer so far. Basically, the letter was to remind him of the public announcements he made last year declaring his commitment to getting the train working, and allocating new foreign investment to the project.

Our letter to Toledo is not simply a request for funding; it is an attempt to promote jobs, to find alternative ways to invest in the economic development of our community, and to rescue the heritage that this railway represents for us.

So you’re not President Toledo, but all the same maybe you can help us to make other valuable contacts. Some time ago, for example, we heard that the Trans Canada Railway was reducing services or being discontinued. Wouldn’t it be something if the cars that rode the longest railway in the world could now be used to ride the highest railway in the world?!

If you have contacts, ideas, or money to invest in this cause, we would love to hear from you. We are certain that this train could be up and running again and that the Central Highlands can recuperate its most famous tourist attraction!

More background and information about the train service and about our campaign is available on our website at www.incasdelperu.org (see “About Us – Campaigns”). Please feel free to respond with comments to [e-mail] or [e-mail]

We would love to hear from you!