This plan section encompasses all railways within the State. South Dakota is served by Class I, Class II, and Class III railroads, designated by annual revenue amounts with connections to highways, seaports, and inland water ports for access to global trading partners. South Dakota is not currently served by passenger rail service, and no near‑term future services have been identified. SCOPE South Dakota relies heavily on its rail system to connect key industries like agriculture, bioprocessing, construction, and manufacturing to markets in North America and beyond. The State's rail network includes multiple classes of railroads. The network offers freight transportation services that link South Dakota to the extensive North American rail network and connect with coastal seaports and inland river ports for importing and exporting goods. In 2019, South Dakota's freight railroads transported over 115 million tons of freight, mainly farm products such as corn, soybeans, and wheat, along with other commodities like fertilizer, ethanol, coal, aggregates, cement, and bentonite. Projections indicate that rail freight traffic in South Dakota is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 1.1% through 2045.
The South Dakota rail system shall provide competitive and efficient freight service, in the safest manner possible, to connect South Dakota businesses with domestic and international markets and support statewide economic development efforts. State Rail Vision
78 | Rail
South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development
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