El Chepe Express

Ferromex (Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico)
Mexico
Loading Map...
The Journey

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

Scenery Highlights
  • Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) descent — six interconnected chasms totaling 65,000 km², deeper than the Grand Canyon
  • Bahuichivo switchbacks and spiral tunnels — the line doubles back on itself inside the mountain in classic Sierra Madre engineering
  • Divisadero rim lookout — canyon panorama from the rail line's highest point at 2,438 m, continental divide, Hotel Mirador 50 m from platform
  • El Fuerte colonial town approach — 16th-century Spanish fortress town on the Rio Fuerte, Pueblo Mágico since 2009
  • Rio Fuerte bridge (500 m long, central span ~90 m above the river) — among Mexico's most photographed rail bridges
  • Cerohuaquí mission village and Mirador del Gallinero canyon overlook (optional stop from Bahuichivo)
  • Creel mountain town (2,350 m) — gateway to Lake Arareko, Cusárare Falls (30 m waterfall), and the Tarahumara cave dwellings of the Sierra
  • Tarahumara (Rarámuri) villages en route — Mexico's renowned long-distance running indigenous community
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    9.7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive (MXN 3,200–5,700 one-way per segment; multi-day Chepe Experience packages from MXN 12,000–28,000 per person including 2–3 nights hotel)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: Multi-course Mexican breakfast and lunch included in on-board dining car; beverages (coffee, juice, soft drinks) included

Ensuite: No

Meals: Multi-course breakfast and lunch included; beverages included

Ensuite: No

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

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

EMD GP38-2 (2,000 hp Bo-Bo diesel-electric) and EMD SD40-2 (3,000 hp Co-Co diesel-electric) Ferromex fleet — shared with freight operations across Mexico's 7,000 km Ferromex network

Locomotive Weight

EMD GP38-2 approximately 96 tonnes (4-axle Bo-Bo); EMD SD40-2 approximately 167 tonnes (6-axle Co-Co)

Track Gauge

1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge

Braking Technology

Air brakes (standard freight/passenger air brake system); dynamic braking on 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, including the 1,260 m Continental Divide Tunnel at the Sinaloa–Chihuahua border

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

  • Elevation gain from sea level (Los Mochis) to 2,438 m at Divisadero — the continental divide, with switchback and spiral engineering to manage the ascent without cog technology

  • Split-level, switchback and spiral tunnel engineering to manage extreme elevation changes through extremely rugged terrain — Bahuichivo's switchback tunnels are engineering landmarks

  • Construction completed 1961 after 90+ years of intermittent work — disrupted by the 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution and 1926 funding collapse; dozens of workers died during construction

  • Operation year-round in extreme climate variations — coastal heat (Los Mochis, 40 °C+ in May/June) to high-altitude cold (Creel, snow in December/January)

  • Single-track standard-gauge corridor limits frequency to three days per direction weekly on the Express service

Operator

Ferromex (Grupo México subsidiary, Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico)

Route Length

350 km (Express segment Los Mochis–Creel)

Full Corridor

653 km Chihuahua–Los Mochis on Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico

Highest Point

2,438 m at Divisadero (continental divide)

Maximum Speed

~80 km/h on passenger service

Travel Time

9h 40m end-to-end (Los Mochis–Creel)

Max Gradient

4% (1 in 25)

Tunnels

86 tunnels on the full corridor (~18 km total)

Bridges

37 major bridges on the full corridor (~5 km total)

Track gauge

1,435 mm standard gauge

Locomotive roster

EMD GP38-2 (Bo-Bo, 2,000 hp) and EMD SD40-2 (Co-Co, 3,000 hp) diesel-electric

Construction history

Commenced 1900 (Arthur E. Stillwell / Kansas City Mexico & Orient); suspended 1910–1920 Revolution; resumed 1920s; suspended 1926 funding collapse; American Bridge Company built Sierra Madre bridges 1925–1932; completed 1961 under President Adolfo López Mateos

Launch of Express premium service

2011 (premium dome-carriage service replacing the older mixed Chepe Regional rolling stock on the western segment)

Currency

MXN (Mexican Peso); ~17 MXN/USD mid-2026

Time zone

America/Chihuahua (UTC-7, with Mexican Pacific DST schedule)

Status

Active — three days per direction weekly

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    9.7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive (MXN 3,200–5,700 one-way per segment; multi-day Chepe Experience packages from MXN 12,000–28,000 per person including 2–3 nights hotel)

Official Booking Provider