SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — 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. These are study maps and for now, Amtrak has a plan it says will improve services in established route areas.

It will use at least $10 billion in federal grant money for some of those projects.

Amtrak said in November it will use the $10 billion in Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) “to modernize critical infrastructure, improve stations and support future ridership growth on the Northeast Corridor.”

Planned Amtrak projects for the $10 billion are: the Gateway Hudson River Tunnel (NY/NJ), the Frederick Douglass Tunnel (MD), the Susquehanna River Bridge (MD), the Penn Station Access (NY), and the Connecticut River Bridge (CT).

Those projects are in the northeast corridor which is the area of the most Amtrak passenger rides. In short, it is a highly populated area geared to train transportation.

Amtrak ridership declined during COVID-19 but numbers from fiscal year 2023, show improvement. FY23 ran from October 2022 through September 2023.

The northeast region had a 9.1 million ridership, according to Amtrak in FY23.

The FRA report said for South Dakota, one possible route includes Minneapolis-St. Paul, Sioux Falls, Omaha and Kansas City, while the other proposed route includes Denver, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Rapid City, Pierre, Sioux Falls and Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

Minnesota is on the Empire Builder Amtrak route. The Empire Builder had 348,993 ridership in FY23, according to Amtrak. The Empire Builder travels between Chicago and the West Coast.

A FY22 report from Amtrak for Minnesota said there were 88,617 passengers in the state that fiscal year.

So what could a route through South Dakota include? Possibly, stops at stations.

Amtrak has six stations in Minnesota.

Amtrak has a route through North Dakota which is part of the Empire Building. There are seven stations in North Dakota. One of the stations is in Rugby with a population of about 2,500 people.

If Amtrak came to South Dakota, it would likely be using existing railroad tracks that pass through various towns.

Amtrak said it owns only 3%, or about 623 miles, of the 21,400 route-miles it uses. Most of that 3% is in the northeast corridor.

That means Amtrak shares the track with the owners, many of them which operate freight trains. As of now, passenger trains are supposed to get the right-of-way over freight trains.

Amtrak has claimed that doesn’t always happen and blames waiting for freight trains as a major reason why passenger trains may be late. Critics say long, lumbering freight trains slow down passenger trains.

South Dakota has 1,977 miles of operating rail lines, according to the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

Some Amtrak trains can travel up to 150 mph, according to the company, but that’s in the Northeast Corridor. In a Chicago to St. Louis route, the trains can travel up to 110 mph.

The level of class for a railroad track determines speed. The class level speed is set by the FRA. The higher the class, the faster the speed.

The speed at which trains can travel also depends on curves, elevation and other features of the landscape and track.

State planning for rail?

Amtrak did not travel through South Dakota when it was formed in 1971. The state has been without passenger rail service since the late 1960s.

Since 1971, there has been considerable curiosity and public support for the reintroduction of passenger rail services, the 2022 South Dakota Department of Transportation state rail plan said.

The rail plan said the state is interested any possible passenger rail planning effort that may effect the state.

It is not a member of the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission (MIPRC), according to the MIPRC website. The MIPRC “brings together state leaders from across the region on a bipartisan basis to advocate for passenger rail improvements.”

South Dakota does have participants or participation in the Greater Northwest Region Passenger Rail Coalition which is associated with All Aboard Northwest. Dan Bilka, co-founder and president of All Aboard Northwest, is a graduate of South Dakota State University, according to the All Aboard Northwest website.

A mix of state and federal funds have been used for various passenger rail projects in states.

Amtrak has a partnership with what it calls state sponsored rails.

In FY2023, Amtrak cited new state supported service between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and Chicago, in partnership with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Transportation; this service is anticipated to begin in early 2024.

Rail funding like highway funding

Billions in federal money go to Amtrak but billions also go to other types of infrastructure.

Federal money is frequently used for infrastructure projects such as highways and bridges and even water treatment plants.

Federal money supported at least 80% of SD DOT spending on highway and bridge improvements, according to the National Transportation Research Group in July of 2023.

The new wastewater treatment plant in Sioux Falls, for example, was funded in part by about $48 million in federal money.

The FRA says Amtrak uses federal money “in conjunction with operating revenues and funds from states, local governments, and other entities, Amtrak uses federal funds for a wide range of its operating and capital activities, including a portion of its operating expenses, capital maintenance of fleet and infrastructure, capital expansion and investment programs and capital debt repayment.”

Federal money for Amtrak has been debated since Amtrak started in 1971.

Even as ridership was up in FY2023 from FY2022, Amtrak still posted an operating loss of about $757 million.

Passenger rail advocates say that rail travel is more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly than vehicle travel and that return on investment is worth it.

Passenger rail has been an infrastructure emphasis for President Joe Biden’s administration but there has been resistance, particularly from several Republicans.

In January Amtrak announced a goal to double ridership to 66 million by FY2040.