Navigate from Chihuahua (state capital, 1,433 m — central plateau) to Los Mochis (Sinaloa — Pacific coastal plain) across a span of 653km.
Scenery Highlights
Chihuahua city skyline — departure from the state capital, 16th-century colonial centre
Cuauhtémoc Mennonite country (1,700 m) — verdant dairy farms and Swiss-style villages among the high-desert scrub
Creel mountain town (2,350 m) — gateway to Lake Arareko, Cusárare Falls (30 m waterfall), and the Tarahumara cave dwellings
Divisadero continental divide (2,438 m) — canyon rim panorama, Hotel Mirador overnight option
Bahuichivo switchback tunnels and Cerohuaquí mission village overlook
Temoris spiral tunnel — the line doubles back on itself inside the mountain
El Fuerte colonial riverside town — Spanish fortress, Rio Fuerte crossing
Los Mochis Pacific coastal plain arrival — subtropical Tropic of Cancer crossing
Quick Facts
Duration
14.5 hours
Distance
653 km
Est. Price
Budget to Affordable (MXN 1,200–6,800 one-way per segment; MXN 1,200 for the walk-on Economia class is one of the great rail bargains in North America)
Meals: None (on-board canteen for snacks and drinks)
Ensuite: No
Meals: None (on-board canteen for snacks and drinks)
Ensuite: No
Meals: None
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
653 km full corridor traverse of the Sierra Madre Occidental — Mexico's most challenging railway engineering project
Same 4% grades as the Express service; route gains 2,438 m elevation from Los Mochis to Divisadero (continental divide)
86 tunnels totalling ~18 km 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
Switchback tunnels at Bahuichivo — the line doubles back on itself inside the mountain in classic Sierra Madre engineering
Spiral tunnel at Temoris — the line circles around itself inside the mountain to gain elevation
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)
Operator
Ferromex (Grupo México subsidiary, Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico)
Route Length
653 km (Chihuahua–Los Mochis full corridor)
Highest Point
2,438 m at Divisadero (continental divide)
Maximum Speed
~80 km/h on passenger service
Travel Time
14h 30m end-to-end (Chihuahua–Los Mochis)
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)
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
Classes
Turista (standard armchair), Primera (first class armchair, air-conditioned), Economia (walk-on from conductor, MXN ~1,200)
Currency
MXN (Mexican Peso); ~17 MXN/USD mid-2026
Time zone
America/Chihuahua (UTC-7, with Mexican Pacific DST schedule)
Status
Active — twice weekly each direction
Quick Facts
Duration
14.5 hours
Distance
653 km
Est. Price
Budget to Affordable (MXN 1,200–6,800 one-way per segment; MXN 1,200 for the walk-on Economia class is one of the great rail bargains in North America)