Hundreds of tourists stranded on their way to Machu Picchu queued on Wednesday morning waiting for the noon train in Ollantaytambo, where they were left without an opportunity to visit Peru's landmark archaeological site.

While they waited for their turn to board a train inside, some 900 were still being evacuated from Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu.

The company operating the railroad said later on Wednesday that it had restarted operations.

Early in September, residents commenced their protests to demand that a new company take over the concession of the local bus company on the final leg of the path.

Peru's Ombudsman office said it reached an agreement with the protesters to lift the blockade for over 72 hours.

If the period had allowed thousands to leave, the government said operators should ensure the safety of the tourists.

"The concessionary in charge of the track needs to make sure that the problems that have arisen are not happening again, those acts of vandalism to the railroad tracks, putting the tourists' safety at risk," said Desilú León, Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru.

The citadel was built in the 15th century as a religious sanctuary for the Incas and is located in the Amazon region of southeastern Peru, at an altitude of 2,490 meters.

Machu Picchu generates more than 66,000 jobs, but for years it has been the subject of complaints from tourists because they cannot find tickets in advance, the services are informal, and the population, dissatisfied with the distribution of tourism benefits, has blocked roads.

On Monday night, police managed to temporarily unblock the railway after a clash with residents that left some 14 people injured, Darwin Baca, one of the protesters, told the local press.

AP Video shot by Angel Castro