"I will lay rails wherever the flames roam": the train that crosses 68 tunnels and 55 bridges up to nearly 5,000 meters in the Andes

The Ferrocarril Central del Perú is a 490-kilometer line linking Callao and Lima with Andean cities such as La Oroya and Huancayo.

It crosses 68 tunnels and 55 bridges, reaching about 4,782 meters near the Galera tunnel.

Ernest Malinowski and Henry Meiggs drove the project forward despite major engineering challenges, disease, and delays.

The railway remains vital for moving minerals, cement, and fuel, and for connecting once-isolated Andean regions.