The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al PacÃÂfico , commonly known as the Chepe Express or El Chepe, is a passenger train operated by Ferromex in northwestern Mexico between city of Chihuahua and Los Mochis, crosses the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range.
Stretching approximately , the railway traverses the scenic Copper Canyon region and is widely regarded as one of the most spectacular rail journeys in North America. The route includes 37 bridges and 86 tunnels, reaching elevations of about above sea level near Divisadero (the continental divide), a popular lookout spot over the canyons. The service functions both as an important transportation link for local communities and as a major tourist attraction.
The concept of the railroad was officially recognized in 1880, when the president of Mexico, General Manuel González, granted a rail concession to Albert Kinsey Owen of the Utopia Socialist Colony of New Harmony, Indiana, United States, who was seeking to develop a socialist colony in Mexico. The railroad was actually built by Arthur Stilwell as the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway, starting about 1900.
From 1910 to 1914, Mexico North Western Railway (sp. Ferrocarril del Noroeste) completed the TemosachicâÂÂCasasâÂÂGrandes line. Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway completed the ChihuahuaâÂÂOjinaga section. Enrique Creel's Chihuahua al PacÃÂfico railroad completed the ChihuahuaâÂÂCreel section.
In 1940, Mexico acquired the rights from Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway. In May 1952, Mexico took possession of a line operated by Mexican Northwestern Railway. In 1955, Mexico merged them as Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico, S.A. de C.V. Financial difficulties caused by the cost of building a railroad through rugged terrain delayed the project, and the ChP was not completed until 1961.
The private rail franchise Ferromex took over the railroad from the Mexican government in 1998.
In general, two different passenger trains run daily: Chepe Regional, a slower service with more stops for locals, with 16 stops at which boardings or disembarkations can be made at passenger request, and the other a luxury, Chepe Express, direct service for tourists, which is faster and more expensive. First-class trains are composed of two to three cars, each holding 64 passengers. Second-class trains have three or four cars, each holding 68 passengers.
On its way from Los Mochis to Chihuahua it runs through El Fuerte, Temoris, Bahuichivo, Posada Barrancas, Divisadero, and Creel, among others.