Mexico's most famous train ride just got easier to plan. Chepe Express has published its full 2027 operating calendar, with departures running from 11 January 2027 through to 30 January 2028 and bookings opening on 24 September 2026. For anyone eyeing the Copper Canyon — one of the great rail journeys of the Americas — that means you can lock in dates more than a year out.
The practical headline for travellers: six departures a week for most of the year. There are a few seasonal gaps — in April, May, June, August and September there's no Monday service from Los Mochis and no Tuesday service from Creel — so it pays to check the calendar before fixing your flights.
The route covers more than 350 kilometres between Creel, high in the Sierra Tarahumara, and Los Mochis on the Pacific coast, calling at five stops: Creel, Divisadero, Bahuichivo, El Fuerte and Los Mochis. Between them the line threads pine forests, canyon walls, tunnels and soaring bridges as it drops from the mountains to the sea.
Each stop earns its own detour. Creel, a designated Pueblo Mágico, is the base for meeting the Rarámuri people and visiting Lake Arareko. Divisadero is the canyon-view centrepiece — the launch point for zip-lining, cable cars, mountain biking and hiking along the rim. Bahuichivo serves the village of Cerocahui, El Fuerte brings colonial architecture and mining-era history, and Los Mochis hands you off to Topolobampo Bay and El Maviri Island on the coast.
On board, the trip is pitched as a destination in itself rather than a transfer. Standard tickets include comfortable seating, regional food, a bar and terrace, while First Class passengers get the Urike Dome Car, a glass-roofed restaurant with canyon views. In 2026 the ride was named "Best Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience" at the Lo Mejor de México awards — evidence the railway has moved well beyond train-nerd cult status.
Why it matters: this is a rare case where the timetable genuinely shapes the holiday. Most visitors ride the line in stages, hopping off for a night or two at Divisadero or Cerocahui rather than doing it in one push. Six weekly departures make that kind of multi-stop itinerary straightforward, and the route pairs naturally with a wider northern Mexico loop — Chihuahua's mountains one end, the Sea of Cortez coastline at the other. If the Copper Canyon has been sitting on your long-list, autumn 2026 is the moment to turn it into a confirmed booking.
