The line branches off from the Transcon and heads due south, passing through the communities of La Joya and Socorro, New Mexico, before running along the heavily forested Rio Grande.
70 miles (110 km) south of Belen, the line climbs out of the river valley and through the sparsely vegetated Chihuahuan Desert of south-central New Mexico.
The track runs east of the Elephant Butte Reservoir and the resort town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico before descending a steep grade prior to passing through Rincon, New Mexico.
The line then travels past many farms before running through the middle of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The track continues through the Las Cruces and El Paso suburbs before making a sharp turn east and running along the US-Mexico border before arriving in the railroad's El Paso Yard.