El Chepe Express

Ferromex
Mexico
Loading Map...
The Journey

Navigate from Los Mochis (Sinaloa) to Creel (Chihuahua) across a span of 350km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) descent
  • Bahuichivo switchbacks and spiral tunnels
  • Divisadero rim overlooks — canyon panorama from the rail line's highest point at 2,438m
  • El Fuerte colonial town approach
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    9.7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive (MXN 4,800–8,700 per segment)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: One meal and bar/terrace access included

Ensuite: No

Meals: Multi-course breakfast and lunch included

Ensuite: No

Meals: None (canteen on board for snacks and drinks, cash only)

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

EMD GP38-2 and SD40-2 diesel-electric locomotives; Ferromex fleet of 890+ locomotives totalling 2.9 million horsepower

Track Gauge

1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge

Braking Technology

Air brakes (standard freight/passenger air brake system); dynamic braking on newer SD40-2 units

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Steep 4% grades on the Sierra Madre Occidental ascent — among the steepest non-adhesion railway grades in North America

  • 86 tunnels totalling ~18 km through solid rock of the Sierra Madre Occidental

  • 37 major bridges totalling ~5 km including the 500m Fuerte River Bridge and 90m-high Chinipas Bridge

  • Elevation gain from sea level (Los Mochis) to 2,438m at Divisadero — the continental divide

  • Split-level and switchback engineering to manage extreme elevation changes without cog railway technology

  • Operation year-round in extreme climate variations from coastal heat to high-altitude cold

Route Length

350 km (Express segment Los Mochis–Creel)

Full Corridor

653 km Chihuahua–Los Mochis on Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico

Highest Point

2,438m at Divisadero (continental divide)

Maximum Speed

~80 km/h on passenger service

Travel Time

9h40m end-to-end (Los Mochis–Creel)

Operator

Ferromex (Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico)

Tunnels

86 tunnels on the full corridor

Bridges

37 major bridges on the full corridor

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    9.7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive (MXN 4,800–8,700 per segment)

Official Booking Provider