List of South Dakota railroads

The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of South Dakota.

Current freight carriers

• BNSF Railway (BNSF)
• Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) through subsidiaries Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DME) and Soo Line Railroad (SOO)
• D&I Railroad (DAIR)
• Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad (DMVW)
• Dakota Southern Railway (DSRC)
• Ellis and Eastern Company (EE)
• Ringneck & Western (RWRR)
• Sisseton Milbank Railroad (SMRR) - subsidiary of Twin Cities and Western Railroad
• Sunflour Railroad (SNR)
• Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (RCPE)

Passenger carriers

• Black Hills Central Railroad
• Prairie Village, Herman and Milwaukee Railroad

Defunct railroads

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	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
Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway	BCRN	RI	1880	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	1902	Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway
Cherokee and Dakota Railroad	CDRC	IC	1887	1888	Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad	CB&Q	CB&Q	1886	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	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	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	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	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	1903	Chicago and North Western Railway
Grand Island and Wyoming Central Railroad		CB&Q	1886	1897	Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Great Northern Railway	GN	GN	1890	1970	Burlington Northern Inc.
Illinois Central Railroad	IC	IC	1887	1972	Illinois Central Gulf Railroad
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad	ICG		1972	1982	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	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	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	1878	Worthington and Sioux Falls Railroad
St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway		GN	1886	1907	Great Northern Railway
St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad		CNW	1879	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	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
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	1880	Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway
Southern Minnesota Railway Extension Company		MILW	1878	1880	Southern Minnesota Railway
Union Pacific Railroad	UP		1995	1996	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	1907	Great Northern Railway
Winona and St. Peter Railroad		CNW	1878	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	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	1924	Wyoming and Missouri River Railway
Wyoming and Missouri River Railway			1924	1927	N/A
Yankton and Western Railway		CNW/ MILW	1890

References

• Association of American Railroads (2003), Railroad Service in South Dakota (PDF). Retrieved May 11, 2005.