Poroy station sits at 3,478 metres on the altiplano about 20 minutes by road from central Cusco. It used to be the main Cusco-side departure for the Machu Picchu trains, but service has been reduced since the pandemic and most travellers now join at Ollantaytambo further down the valley.
When Poroy is running, PeruRail operates services down to Aguas Calientes with a full-journey time of around 3h30 — climbing out of the Cusco bowl, dropping into the Sacred Valley, picking up the Urubamba at Ollantaytambo. From Ollantaytambo direct it’s 1h30, which is why most trips now overnight in the valley rather than ride straight from Cusco.
The advantage of Poroy when it is operating: no road transfer. You can walk out of your Cusco hotel after breakfast, taxi to the station, and be on the train by mid-morning. The disadvantage is the extra two hours — you lose a chunk of a day each way.
Peruways tracks the current PeruRail timetable and books whichever station is running on your date, with the Consettur bus and timed Machu Picchu entry in the same reservation. Check the current schedule at Peruways before you lock in a Cusco–Machu Picchu date.
If Poroy is on hold when you book, the valley overnight at Ollantaytambo is often a better plan anyway — the town is a Sacred Valley highlight in its own right.
