International Railroad Discussion > FCCA in Peru traffic

I hopped on a deal to Lima, Peru this fall and was planning to railfan FCCA in and around Lima, and/or up into the mountains. The most substantial traffic info I could find was from an International Rail Journal article in 2014 indicating that traffic was rising and infrastructure was improving. Does anyone know a rough estimate of traffic levels on the mainline? Also, do they operate the mountain segments at night? That is just sheer curiosity, given how severe the operating conditions are.

My understanding is that traffic levels are good, with two or more trains in motion in the mountainous section at any point in time.  There are dozens, if not hundreds of spectacular photo locations from the main highway between Lima and the more than 15,000-foot summit.   If you like mountainous railroad photos, you are going to be nearly overwhelmed.  Have fun!

Thank you! I'm also exploring the ultimate dream - find a place to stay in that mountain portion where you can just look out the window and see it.

If you literally mean being able to see the trains from the hotel itself, the place to stay is the Hotel El Emperador in Chicla, if you're OK with staying without central heat at the 13,000-ft elevation.  There are four levels of the main line visible from the hotel, one acorss the valley (level two), the lowest level is a grade crossing just downhill along the road.  The line crosses  on a bridge over the road ugrade from the hotel and then there are two levels above on the mountainside in back of the hotel.

My personal favorite is the Hostal Primavera in Chosica, a very charming town with a lively daily market scene.  The hotel is only a short walk from a pedestrian bridge over the rapids of theRio Rimac.  This bridge continues over the railroad and overlooks the locomotive shops and yards.  The elevation in Chosica is much less than Chicla and the weather is usually pleasant throughout the year.   Chosica can be used as a base for going up into the mountains.   Rooms 301 and 401 are the nicest in the hotel, but there is no elevator.

All this informaton is about three years old.  At that time the room in Chicla was about $15 a night and $35 in Chosica.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/19 13:56 by LTCerny.

Thank you for that information! Those are both excellent suggestions and I'm likely to try one or both of those.