A House Resolution passing committee would create a pathway for South Dakota to add Amtrak.
Currently, only South Dakota and Wyoming are the only states to not have Amtrak railway routes.
The preferred route would connect the state to Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul. That includes passage through Rapid City, Pierre and Sioux Falls.
Dan Bilka is the co-founder and president of All Aboard Northwest, a region-wide passenger rail transit advocacy organization. He said a January study shows economic benefits for state and local communities for a South Dakota route.
“The long-distance routes identified across South Dakota by the Federal Railroad Administration through the long-distance service study are likely to perform comparably if actually not quite out-right performing indeed other routes identified," Bilka said. "And of the 15 new routes identified through the study process, the route across our state from Denver to the Twin Cities through Rapid City and Sioux Falls could actually have the second-lowest operation and maintenance cost."
He added another bonus is that Amtrak looks at existing railroad networks, so eminent domain is not an issue. The only time additional tracks that might be added would join two existing tracks together.
The Federal Railroad Administration study estimates the cost for the railroad infrastructure is between $4.5 billion and $5.8 billion to upgrade existing railroad lines – the most expensive of the study’s 15 proposed routes.
Typically, a combination of state and federal dollars along with Amtrak funding foots the bill. HCR 6008 does not address a means of funding the railway.
Mitch Richter is with All Aboard Amtrak South Dakota. He said although there are questions, this bill is just to get the state’s foot in the door.
"This is the very, very first step in the project, just like the interstate highway, just like the hydroelectric dams, just like any of these big national projects that get done," Richter said. "We’re just being shortsighted in South Dakota by not having the opportunity to get a passenger that wants to jump on the train in Chicago and go see Mount Rushmore, stop in Pierre and see the Capitol. I mean there’s lots of opportunities. This would connect us to the rest of the United States on Amtrak."
The bill’s proponents say if signed into law, the next steps would be garnering federal support.
Nobody spoke in opposition Wednesday. The bill passes committee 6-0 and now heads to the Senate floor.
