10 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

The Daily Republic, Mitchell, SD 4/2:

LETTER: Bring railroad passenger services to S. Dakota

By Merlin Marlow

 

To the Editor:

 

I write this article as a public notice.

 

The topic? Intercity railroad passenger service, namely Amtrak. Amtrak has been operating most of the nation's passenger train routes for 45 years on May 1. Among the 48 states, only two are Amtrak-less: South Dakota and Wyoming. I wish to see a change in South Dakota's current passenger transportation status. As a railroad travel advocate from Minnesota, I have started an organization called "TORTA": Tri-Otas Railroad Travel Advocates." We are a daughter chapter of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which is based in Washington, D.C.

 

TORTA consists of South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota's current seventh Congressional District. Three states ending with the letters O-T-A, thus Tri-otas.

 

A platform has been written up outlining the possibilities of railroad passenger service for the state of South Dakota.  .  .  .

 

Continue here.

[KevinKorell]

I hadn't heard of this Tri-Ota group until now, even during the time I was more active in being part of many such organizations. From the published letter they seem to have great ideas, but such grandiose plans have not gotten much beyond that point. Proposing good networks of passenger rail lines looks great on paper, but a nightmare to ensure connections since if one train is late, it delays the others that it connects or combines with. And we still have issues to deal with such as funding, and those increased numbers of oil trains between North Dakota and other points to coexist with on the rails.

[EvergreenRailfan]

Besides the reasons mentioned above, I have wondered, how could Amtrak serve South Dakota? The route of the Dakota 400 would serve Pierre, the capitol, Huron, and perhaps Rapid City, but would need extensive upgrades. The last train in the state, the remnant of the Olympian Hiawatha, ceased in 1969, served Aberdeen. The tough part is Sioux Falls is not on either of these lines, so to cover much of the state, perhaps a North-South corridor on a from Minneapolis to Omaha via Aberdeen and Sioux Falls, and a branch to Rapid City? In the Minnesota State Rail Plan, I think there was a conceptual proposal for a service to Sioux Falls.

[KevinKorell]

KSFY-TV, Channel 13 in Sioux Falls, SD, 10/17/17:

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered: Why doesn't Sioux Falls have Amtrak service?

 

 

Wyoming and South Dakota are the only two states in the contiguous U.S. that don't have Amtrak service. The passenger railroad system has been looked at by Sioux Falls officials before. But it's been about seven years since Sam Trebilcock looked at the service for Sioux Falls. Trebilcock is the transportation planner for the city.

 

Story here.

 

Writer of the news story uses the term "looked at" five times in the whole piece..... including 2 above.  Other words she could have used: Investigated, studied, explored, vetted, discussed, etc.

 

 

"A lot of it is going to be upgrading the rail corridors that you have. You can't just put passenger rails as I understand it onto a freight rail corridor," he said.

 

Well the freight railroad has to be agreeable to the plan, but that's basically how it works outside of the rails Amtrak owns. Amtrak trains run on freight tracks, and have done so throughout the 46 year history of Amtrak.

[KevinKorell]

KEVN-TV, Channel 7 in Rapid City, SD, 10/27/23:

 

 

    Amtrak could be rolling its way through the Black Hills  

 

 

Amtrak covers 21,000 miles of track and operates up to 300 trains per day, and those numbers could be increasing. The Federal Railroad Administration is looking into bringing Amtrak to South Dakota.

 

Entire story

[KevinKorell]

Dakota News Now site,  11/7/23:

 

 

     Passenger rail advocates push for South Dakota Amtrak service  

 

 

Conversations nationwide for new and improved passenger rail services have picked back up after the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law back in 2021. For some passenger rail advocates, the increased funding for rail projects is the perfect example to bring back service to South Dakota, which saw it’s last passenger train stop in the state decades ago.

 

More

[KevinKorell]

Mitchell, SD Republic,  12/1/23:

 

 

 Could Amtrak add a route through eastern South Dakota?      

 

On any given day, as many as 63,000 Americans hop on an Amtrak train for business or leisure.

 

Someday, South Dakotans could, too.

 

Article

[KevinKorell]

South Dakota Searchlight, 1/19/24:

 

 

     Amtrak ambition: The lonely quest to break SD’s resistance to passenger rail  

 

You can’t reach Mount Rushmore by passenger rail. Or the Badlands. Or Wall Drug. 

 

Or just about anywhere else in South Dakota. It’s one of two states in the contiguous U.S. without Amtrak passenger train service – and the only one to have never had it.  

 

Read

[KevinKorell]

KOTA-TV, Channel 3 in Rapid City, SD, 2/20/24:

 

 

   All aboard- Amtrak could track its way through the state    

 

 

 All aboard- Amtrak could be fast-tracking its way to Congress sometime this year to potentially bring passenger rail service to South Dakota.

 

Story here.    And there's that word "could" again so I would not purchase my tickets just yet.

[KevinKorell]

KELO-TV, Channel 11 in Sioux Falls, SD, 2/20/24:
 

 

       What could Amtrak look like in South Dakota?

 
If Amtrak were to expand into South Dakota it would cost millions, even billions.
 
South Dakota made the latest Federal Railroad Administration’s  Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study maps.

 

 

Story continues