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Revision as of 15:45, 10 March 2006
The Chihuahua al Pacífico Railroad, known as ChP or Chepe, is a major rail line in northwest Mexico, linking the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, to the town of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, near the Pacific coast. It runs 650 km (400) miles, passing through the Copper Canyon, a beautiful and rugged series of canyons that have led some to call this the most scenic railroad trip on the continent.
The idea for the railroad was officially started in 1880, when the president of Mexico, General Manuel González, granted a rail concession to of Albert Kinsey Owen of the Utopia Socialist Colony of New Harmony, Indiana, USA, who was seeking to develop a socialist colony. Financial difficulties, spurred by the cost of building a railroad through the rugged canyons, plagued the project, and it was not until 1961 that the ChP was completed.
In 1998, the private rail franchise Ferromex took over the railroad from the Mexican government, which had operated all railroads since 1940. In general, two passenger trains run daily: one a slightly slower service with more stops for locals, and one a direct, more expensive service for tourists.