Like most of the Americas, Mexico lost the bulk of its intercity passenger rail in the twentieth century as roads and buses took over. But unlike many of its neighbours, Mexico has been actively rebuilding — the new Maya Train has added more passenger rail kilometres in the Yucatán than the country had built in decades, alongside long-running scenic classics like El Chepe through the Copper Canyon and the Tequila Express day trip from Guadalajara. Here is what actually runs, and what to expect from each.
El Chepe: the Copper Canyon railway
The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico, universally known as El Chepe, is Mexico's most celebrated rail journey and one of the great train rides of the Americas. It runs 655 km between Los Mochis on the Pacific coast and Chihuahua in the northern desert, crossing the Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre) — a canyon system larger and, in places, deeper than the Grand Canyon. The line was engineered through extraordinarily difficult terrain, with 37 bridges and 86 tunnels, and remains a genuine feat of railway engineering.
There are two services: El Chepe Express, a modern tourist-oriented train with panoramic windows and dining service, running a shorter core section at weekends and holidays; and El Chepe Regional, the full-length, more basic service used by both tourists and local communities along the route, running more frequently. Most visitors break the journey over two or three days, stopping at Creel or Divisadero — where the train pauses for several minutes at a canyon-rim viewpoint — before continuing.
The Maya Train (Tren Maya)
The Tren Maya is Mexico's newest and most ambitious railway, opened in stages from late 2023, looping roughly 1,500 km around the Yucatán Peninsula and connecting Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Valladolid, Mérida, Campeche, Palenque and Chetumal, among other stops. It was built explicitly to give travellers — and Yucatán residents — a rail alternative to the peninsula's often congested toll roads, and to open up archaeological sites and towns away from the main Cancún–Tulum tourist corridor.
The train runs several classes, from standard "Turista" seating to a more comfortable "Xriqueño" and premium "Gran Turismo" tier with wider seats and food service. Journey times vary considerably by segment — Cancún to Mérida, for instance, takes around four to five hours depending on the service pattern and stops. As a newly opened railway, timetables, station locations and service patterns have continued to evolve since launch, so check current schedules close to travel rather than relying on early reports. It connects usefully with onward travel covered in our Mexico City to Cancún route guide, and archaeological-site travellers will find it changes the calculus for reaching Palenque and Chichén Itzá without a rental car.
The Tequila Express and José Cuervo Express
From Guadalajara, two tourist trains run out to the town of Tequila in Jalisco state, through blue agave fields that are a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. The Tequila Express and the rival José Cuervo Express both run as day-trip experiences rather than point-to-point transport, combining the roughly 65 km rail journey with mariachi music, tequila tastings on board, and a guided distillery tour at the destination before the return trip the same day.
These are tourism products rather than transport links — book through the operators directly, and expect a full and fairly festive day rather than a quiet scenic ride. They typically run on weekends.
Suburban and commuter rail
Mexico City has its own extensive metro, plus a growing Suburbano commuter rail network connecting the capital with satellite cities such as Cuautitlán and, via a newer extension, Toluca — the Mexico City–Toluca line, known as the Tren Interurbano, cut a journey that could take well over an hour by road down to around 40 minutes by rail once fully operational. These commuter and interurban lines are separate from the tourist and long-distance scenic services, but useful if your trip includes time in and around the capital.
What's not there: no nationwide network
It is worth being clear about what Mexico by train does not offer: there is no dense, nationwide passenger network of the kind found in Europe or India. You cannot currently travel by train between, say, Mexico City and Guadalajara, or Mexico City and Oaxaca — those routes are covered by plane, first-class coach or car; see Mexico City to Guadalajara and Mexico City to Oaxaca for how those journeys actually work. Mexico's first-class coach network, led by operators such as ADO and Primera Plus, remains the backbone of medium-distance travel across most of the country, and is generally comfortable, reliable and reasonably priced — see coaches in Mexico for how the network and classes work.
If you are driving instead, our driving in Mexico guide covers toll roads, the Green Angels roadside assistance programme and crossing the US border by car. For a wider look at combining buses, trains and boats across the country, see Mexico overland.
Planning a Mexico rail trip
The two headline experiences — El Chepe and the Maya Train — sit in different parts of the country and don't combine easily into a single loop, so most visitors pick one as the backbone of a regional trip: El Chepe with a Copper Canyon and northern Mexico itinerary, or the Maya Train with a Yucatán and Chiapas trip taking in Mérida, Chichén Itzá, Palenque and the Caribbean coast. Both are best treated as the centrepiece of several days rather than a single day's ride, and both benefit from booking a few weeks ahead in peak season (Mexican school holidays, and the Yucatán's busy winter high season).
Frequently asked questions
Is El Chepe worth the price?
Most travellers who take it rate it among the best rail journeys they've done — the Copper Canyon scenery is dramatic and the engineering genuinely impressive. Booking the Regional service and breaking the journey at Creel or Divisadero gives a fuller experience than the shorter Express service for a similar overall cost.
Does the Maya Train reach Cancún airport?
The network serves Cancún, and connections into the wider Riviera Maya tourist corridor are part of its design, but station locations relative to the airport and hotel zones have shifted as the project has developed. Check the current station map before relying on it for an airport transfer.
Can I travel from Mexico City to Cancún entirely by train?
No — there is no rail link between central Mexico and the Yucatán Peninsula. Most travellers fly between Mexico City and the Maya Train network's stations, then use the train for travel within the peninsula.
Do I need to book El Chepe or the Maya Train in advance?
Advance booking is recommended for both, especially the Maya Train's premium classes and El Chepe Express, which run limited schedules and can sell out around Mexican holidays and the Northern Hemisphere winter high season.
Sources and further reading:
- The Man in Seat 61 — Mexico rail travel, including El Chepe.
- Tren Maya official information — routes, classes and station updates.