The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
Current freight carriers
- BNSF Railway Company (BNSF)
- Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) through subsidiaries Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation (DME) and Soo Line Railroad Company (SOO)
- D & I Railroad Co. (DAIR)
- Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western Railroad, Inc. (DMVW)
- Dakota Southern Railway Company (DSRC)
- Ellis & Eastern Company (EE)
- Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad, Inc. (RCPE)
- Ringneck & Western Railroad, Inc. (RWRR)
- Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company (SMRR) - subsidiary of Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company
- Sunflour Railroad, Inc. (SNR)
Passenger carriers
- Black Hills Central Railroad Co. (DBA "1880 Train")
- Prairie Village, Herman and Milwaukee Railroad
Defunct railroads
<!--Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in Nebraska? Did the Hastings and Dakota Railway enter SD? Dakota Pacific Railroad, predecessor of Missouri River and North Western Railway?-->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Mark
!System
!From
!To
!Successor
!Notes
|-
|Aberdeen, Fergus Falls and Pierre Railroad
|
|GN
|1886
|1886
|St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway
|-
|Belle Fourche Valley Railway
|
|CNW
|1909
|1920
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Black Hills Railroad
|
|CB&Q
|1881
|1882
|Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad
|-
|Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad
|
|CB&Q
|1882
|1932<!--June 17, remaining property conveyed-->
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Black Hills and Missouri River Railroad
|
|
|1904
|1904
|Missouri River and North Western Railway
|-
|Buffalo Ridge Railroad
|BFRR
|
|1988
|1992
|N/A<!--Nobles Rock Railroad didn't take anything in SD-->
|-
|Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway
|BCRN
|RI
|1880<!--leased the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls and Northwestern Railway - or later in SD?-->
|1903
|Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway
|-
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|BN
|
|1970
|1981
|Burlington Northern Railroad
|-
|Burlington Northern Railroad
|BN
|
|1981
|1996
|Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
|-
|Cedar Rapids, Iowa Falls and Northwestern Railway
|CRIN
|RI
|1880<!--or later in SD?-->
|1902
|Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway
|-
|Cherokee and Dakota Railroad
|CDRC
|IC
|1887<!--or later in SD?-->
|1888
|Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|CB&Q
|CB&Q
|1886<!--leased the Grand Island and Wyoming Central Railroad-->
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railway
|
|CB&Q
|1901
|1907
|N/A
|Leased the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
|
|MILW
|1909
|1912
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|CMSP
|MILW
|1879<!--authorized to enter Dakota Territory then?-->
|1928
|Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of South Dakota
|
|MILW
|1906
|1908
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway of Washington
|
|MILW
|1908
|1909
|Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway
|-
|Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
|MILW
|MILW
|1928
|1982
|Burlington Northern Railroad, Dakota Rail, Inc., Dakota Southern Railway, D&I Railroad
|-
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|CNW
|CNW
|1879<!--operated the Dakota Central Railway from completion-->
|1972
|Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
|-
|Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
|CNW
|CNW
|1972
|1995
|Union Pacific Railroad
|-
|Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
|RI, ROCK
|RI
|1947
|1972<!--pulled out of Sioux Falls then?-->
|N/A
|-
|Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway
|RI
|RI
|1903
|1948
|Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
|-
|Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
|CMO
|CNW
|1881
|1972
|Chicago and North Western Transportation Company
|-
|Dakota Central Railway
|
|CNW
|1879
|1900
|Winona and St. Peter Railroad
|-
|Dakota and Great Southern Railway
|
|MILW
|1883
|1886
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Dakota Rail, Inc.
|DAKR
|
|1982
|1987
|Sisseton Southern Railway
|-
|Dakota Short Line, Inc.
|DAKS
|
|2001<!--?-->
|2003
|N/A
|-
|Dakota Southern Railroad
|
|MILW
|1872
|1879
|Sioux City and Dakota Railroad
|-
|Dakota, Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad
|
|
|1891
|1903
|Black Hills and Missouri River Railroad
|-
|Deadwood Central Railroad
|DCRX
|CB&Q
|1888
|1936<!--January 1, merged into CB&Q-->
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad
|DSCR
|IC
|1888
|1946
|Illinois Central Railroad
|-
|Duluth, Watertown and Pacific Railway
|
|GN
|1885
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Fairmount and Veblen Railway
|
|SOO
|1912
|1915
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway
|-
|Fargo and Southern Railway
|FSRC
|MILW
|1881
|1885
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Forest City and Gettysburg Railroad
|
|
|1900<!--?-->
|1904<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Forest City and Sioux City Railroad
|
|
|1888<!--?-->
|1896
|Forest City and Gettysburg Railroad
|-
|Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad
|
|CNW
|1886<!--this is when it was completed to Rapid City, but when was it authorized in Dakota Territory?-->
|1903
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Grand Island and Wyoming Central Railroad
|
|CB&Q
|1886<!--or later in SD?-->
|1897
|Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
|-
|Great Northern Railway
|GN
|GN
|1890<!--leased the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway-->
|1970
|Burlington Northern Inc.
|-
|Illinois Central Railroad
|IC
|IC
|1887<!--?? leased the Cherokee and Dakota Railroad-->
|1972
|Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
|-
|Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
|ICG
|
|1972
|1982<!--line to Sioux Falls abandoned-->
|N/A
|-
|James River Valley and North Western Railway
|
|CNW
|1909
|1920
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Minnesota Southern Railway
|
|EE
|2001
|2017
|
Ellis and Eastern Company
|-
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad
|
|MSTL
|1894
|1944
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
|-
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
|MSTL
|MSTL
|1944
|1960
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
|
|MSTL
|1884<!--began operating the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railway in SD?-->
|1894
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad
|-
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
|SOO
|SOO
|1944
|1961
|Soo Line Railroad
|-
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway
|SOO
|SOO
|1901<!--this is when the line to Pollock opened-->
|1944
|Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
|-
|Minnesota, Dakota and Pacific Railway
|
|MSTL
|1905
|1912
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad
|-
|Minnesota and South Dakota Railway
|
|CNW
|1899<!--?-->
|1900
|Winona and St. Peter Railroad
|-
|Missouri River and North Western Railway
|
|
|1904
|1909
|Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad
|-
|Mound City and Eastern Railway
|
|
|1927
|1940<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Pierre and Fort Pierre Bridge Railway
|
|CNW
|1905
|1920
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Pierre, Rapid City and North-Western Railway
|
|CNW
|1905
|1920
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad
|
|
|1909
|1948
|N/A
|-
|Rapid City, Missouri River and St. Paul Railroad
|
|CNW
|1891
|1905
|Pierre, Rapid City and North-Western Railway
|-
|St. Paul and Dakota Railroad
|
|CNW
|1876<!--or later in SD?-->
|1878
|Worthington and Sioux Falls Railroad
|-
|St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway
|
|GN
|1886<!--or earlier in SD? when was it authorized to build the line to Watertown?-->
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
|
|CNW
|1879<!--or earlier through lease? maybe even the Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad?-->
|1881
|Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway
|-
|Sioux City and Dakota Railroad
|
|MILW
|1879
|1881
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Sioux City and Northern Railroad
|
|GN
|1887<!--or later in SD?-->
|1900
|Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway
|-
|Sioux City and Pembina Railway
|
|MILW
|1876
|1879
|Sioux City and Dakota Railroad
|-
|Sioux Falls and Manitoba Railway
|
|GN
|1902
|1903
|South Dakota Central Railway
|-
|Sioux Falls Terminal Railroad
|
|GN
|1890
|1900
|Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway
|-
|Sioux Falls, Yankton and South Western Railway
|
|GN
|1889
|1893
|Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway<!--and Yankton and Western Railway??-->
|-
|Sisseton Southern Railway
|SSOR
|
|1987
|1989
|Sisseton Milbank Railroad
|-
|South Dakota Central Railway
|
|GN
|1903
|1916
|Watertown and Sioux Falls Railway
|-
|South Dakota Western Railway
|
|CNW
|1890
|1891
|Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad
|-
|South Sioux Falls Railroad and Rapid Transit Company
|
|GN
|1888
|1890
|Sioux Falls Terminal Railroad
|-
|Southern Minnesota Railway
|
|MILW
|1878<!--operated the Southern Minnesota Railway Extension Company-->
|1880
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Southern Minnesota Railway Extension Company
|
|MILW
|1878<!--or later in SD?-->
|1880
|Southern Minnesota Railway
|-
|Union Pacific Railroad Company
|UP
|
|1995
|1996<!--sold the Colony Line-->
|Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad
|-
|Watertown and Sioux Falls Railway
|
|GN
|1916
|1928
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|White River Valley Railway
|
|MILW
|1905
|1910
|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
|-
|Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway
|
|GN
|1886<!--or later in SD?-->
|1907
|Great Northern Railway
|-
|Winona and St. Peter Railroad
|
|CNW
|1878<!--it apparently reached Watertown then-->
|1900
|Chicago and North Western Railway
|-
|Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railroad
|
|MSTL
|1894
|1899
|Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad
|-
|Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railway
|
|MSTL
|1883<!--in SD too?-->
|1894
|Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railroad
|-
|Worthington and Sioux Falls Railroad
|
|CNW
|1878
|1879
|St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
|-
|Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad
|
|
|1895<!--or later in SD?-->
|1924<!--??-->
|Wyoming and Missouri River Railway
|-
|Wyoming and Missouri River Railway
|
|
|1924<!--??-->
|1927<!--?-->
|N/A
|-
|Yankton and Western Railway
|
|CNW/ MILW
|1890
|<!--no idea-->
|
|}
Notes
References
- Association of American Railroads (2003), Railroad Service in South Dakota (PDF). Retrieved May 11, 2005.