LVMH-Owned Belmond Has a History of Train Safety Issues in Peru

The fatal head-on collision near Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu ruins last week isn’t the first time that passenger trains have collided along the key tourist railroad and is inviting scrutiny of the route’s outdated signaling technology.

While the Dec. 30 crash on the line operated by luxury hospitality company Belmond Ltd. left one dead and dozens injured, Peruvian authorities reported a separate rear-end crash in July 2018 that resulted in at least 35 injuries. There was a third near head-on collision in 2021, government documents show, with trains stopping 115 meters (377 feet) apart before colliding.

The repeated incidents are ...