The high-altitude railway to Machu Picchu, Peru’s fabled lost city of the Incas, is at the centre of a bitter antitrust row between Orient Express, the luxury hotel and train operator, the Peruvian government and rival rail consortiums.

The group, which owns hotels and operates luxury trains and cruises around the world, has, with its partners, controlled all train services to Latin America’s top tourist attraction since late 1999.