The implementation of regular train service between Cuzco and Chaullay (near the town of Quillabamba in the La Convención province) enabled the small settlement of Maquinachayoq to grow and prosper. Since it had served as a center of operations during the construction of the railroad, the town was designated capital of the Machu Picchu district, established in 1941.

In 1950 construction began on the access road from the Ruinas Bridge in Aguas Calientes to the ruins of Machu Picchu. At this time, the Inca mountaintop citadel was not yet an international tourist destination and the primary economic activity of the inhabitants of Aguas Calientes was the sale of fruits and other foods to the train passengers.

The train crosses the main thoroughfare running through Aguas Calientes, known as Imperio de los Incas St., and when it arrives each Sunday with wagons full of cargo there is a flurry of activity as
workers set about unloading bricks, tile, tables, chairs, etc.