The Tacna to Arica railway was built by the British Arica & Tacna Railway Co and opened in 1856. The company's 99 year operating concession was unaffected when Arica and Tacna became Chilean territory after the War of the Pacific. At the end of the concession in 1955 the Peruvian government took over the ownership. The line is 62km long, uses standard 1435mm gauge and is not connected to any other rail network. The railbus that used to make the trip is at the platform, the towers of the cathedral are in the background.