North Dakota
South Dakota can continue to be isolated or we can join the growing passenger rail network. The choice is clear. — The South Dakota Standard
People live here. Yes, right here in South Dakota – our home that has often been derided as “flyover country”. For the first time in over 50 years, we have an opportunity to change that. We can have more affordable and convenient transportation options both within the state and to the outside world.
In February 2023, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conducted study workshops to identify how to better connect underserved parts of the country (as shown in the public domain map above, posted in wikimedia commons) with the passenger rail network. The study recommended a new train route across the state that would connect Rapid City, Pierre, Sioux Falls and points in between with Denver and the Twin Cities.
Regrettably, in the wake of the April 2024 South Dakota State Railroad Board meeting, misconceptions have surfaced that could end up halting progress and perpetuating our isolation. Some believe there is no travel demand here, while others claim that decades-long disinvestment in railroad infrastructure should stop us from ever having passenger rail service. These unfounded assertions could not be further from the truth.
Travel demand
The FRA study concluded there is a lot of travel demand for trains through South Dakota, one of just two states in the ‘lower 48’ without Amtrak trains. This comes as no surprise for people who live here, as we are the home of two major population centers and a burgeoning tourist industry across the state.
Population density doesn’t ride trains, people do. People in our region have outsized travel needs compared to those in more population dense regions.
We often have to travel longer distances to reach essential services, more frequently, and in some adverse travel conditions, compared to those living on the coasts. Across the Amtrak network, long-distance trains, such as the Empire Builder service in North Dakota and Montana, perform exceptionally well — especially in rural areas like South Dakota.
The trans-South Dakota, Twin Cities to Denver, route has over 4 times the travel demand (on a per-mile basis) compared to the much-vaunted, and long-needed, route via southern North Dakota and Montana: the North Coast Hiawatha. Despite the Hiawatha’s potential lower travel demand, the FRA has recognized and supported the route through inclusion in the Corridor ID program. The Rail Passengers Association (whose board I sit on) conducted research which identified $271 Million in potential economic benefits to the states served, far exceeding the costs to operate the train.
In addition to the proposed North Coast Hiawatha restoration, the trans-South Dakota route has more travel demand per mile than the much-requested Denver-to-Dallas and Houston route (which includes a leg of the Texas Triangle proposed service) and the Twin Cities-to-Phoenix route.
If there is justification to expand Sioux Falls and Rapid City airports (which I support), there is certainly the demand for modal diversification – especially for a transportation mode that can more directly serve additional communities all across the state.
National investment value
While existing neglected railroad infrastructure in South Dakota does not currently support passenger trains, that has no bearing on the need for rail service in our state. Any transportation infrastructure upgrade faces engineering and implementation challenges. When we are spending billions of dollars subsidizing the highway and aviation networks (not just essential air services), we can find the money to get South Dakota ‘on the map’.
We should have as much right to federal investment as those living on the coasts and the Northeast Corridor in particular, where proponents are proposing a $9 billion redevelopment project for Washington DC Union Station, to enhance service to a metropolitan area that already has many rail options.
As South Dakotans, we already should be investing more in our state railroad system for freight and economic development. Not completing long-proposed freight-focused projects has real financial costs to operators and South Dakota taxpayers. As a start, SDDOT could pursue some of the $2.4 Billion in CRISI NOFO funding currently available and seize the opportunity to apply for a comprehensive grant to address all proposed freight rail projects across South Dakota.
With regards to the argument that the geology of Pierre shale precludes passenger rail service, trains could utilize the Mitchell – Chamberlain – Kadoka – Rapid City alignment due to it having fewer recorded soil issues. Regardless, I am quite certain engineers can find ways to address these challenges. If we can figure out how to safely build two new Hudson River tunnels, and create projects like the Gotthard Base Tunnel and Tibetan Railway, we can find ways to manage these soil issues safely and cost-effectively.
Finally, some argue that we should not invest in South Dakota passenger rail because the state will lose Special Transportation Circumstance (STC) grant funding. This would happen anyway when Minnesota or Iowa establishes passenger rail service that enters the state as proposed in their State Rail Plans. And while out-of-state connections to Sioux Falls are badly needed, they will do little to help western South Dakota 340 miles away.
Concluding thoughts
The Federal Railroad Administration’s comprehensive long-distance rail study resulted in the proposed network of routes that would greatly enhance transportation access across this country. The carefully-considered plan reflects the four primary criteria Congress established when considering potential new long-distance routes:
● link and serve large and small communities as part of a regional rail network;
● advance the economic and social well-being of rural areas of the United States;
● provide enhanced connectivity for the national long-distance passenger rail system;
and
● reflect public engagement and local and regional support for restored passenger railservice.
The proposed rail line across South Dakota meets all of these criteria.
Far from being too expensive to consider South Dakota for passenger rail service, Amtrak and the nation can ill afford to exclude us. We can ill afford to ignore the importance of South Dakota and railroads in our broader economy. South Dakota can continue to be isolated for decades to come, or we can join this nation’s growing passenger rail network. The choice is clear.
People live here!
Dan Bilka of Sioux Falls is co-founder and president, All Aboard Northwest. You can reach him at dan@allaboardnw.org
Greg Power, fisheries division chief with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, shares information about the new 2026-2028 Fishing Guide and a few new regulations starting April 1, 2026.
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SIOUX FALLS — Ali Stephens had 17 points and 13 rebounds and 8th-seeded Omaha defeated 9th-seeded North Dakota 49-39 in the first round of the Summit League women’s tournament.
The Fighting Hawks had a tough time putting the ball in the hoop all night long, scoring just three points in the first quarter and having only marginally better luck from there.
UND (7-24) shot just 23.5 percent from the floor (12-for-51) and made 1-of-20 shots from outside the arc. Walker Demers and Mackenzie Hughes had 10 points each to lead the Hawks, with Demers adding eight rebounds.
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
Regan Juenemann had 10 points and five rebounds for the Mavericks while Avril Smith had seven points and 16 rebounds and Sarai Estupinan eight points, five assists and three rebounds. Omaha (6-26) shot the ball slightly better than the Hawks, going 16-of-53 from the field (30 percent) and 8-of-23 (35 percent) on 3-pointers.
With the win, the Mavs earn a date with top-seed North Dakota State on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
The Bison won both regular season matchups by more than 50 points.
Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls Live
Oral Roberts 84, Kansas City 62 — Don’t look now but the team that started the conference season 0-10 and at one point lost 15 of 16 games might be the hottest in the Summit League.
Oral Roberts picked up their fourth straight victory on Wednesday night in the conference tournament opener, routing Kansas City at the Premier Center in the 8/9 “play-in” game.
Ty Harper had 22 points to lead the Golden Eagles (10-22), who took a 44-21 lead by halftime and never looked back. ORU shot 50 percent from the floor and made 13-of-27 3-pointers while the Kangaroos shot just 34 percent and made 6-of-24 from deep. Martins Kilups had 17 points for the Eagles and Connor Dow added 14.
Jayson Petty had 14 points to lead the Kagaroos, who finish the season 4-27. It was their final game under coach Marvin Menzies, whom the school announced earlier this season would not return next year.
With the win ORU advances to face top-seed North Dakota State on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Golden Eagles lost to NDSU 86-58 in Tulsa on Jan. 24 but they took the Bison to overtime in Fargo on Jan. 3 in a 79-77 loss.
Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor – North Dakota Attorney General
04 Mar The North Dakota Attorney General issued an opinion to the ND State Auditor
in Opinions
March 4, 2026
Media Contact: Suzie Weigel, 701.328.2210
BISMARCK, ND – It is the opinion that federal law does not prevent the state from auditing P&A and even though P&A possesses confidential records, N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22.1 and 42 C.F.R. § 51.45(c) authorize the state auditor and the employees of the auditor’s office, to review the records without detriment to P &A.
Also, whether Rule 1.6 of the North Dakota Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys prohibits P&A from disclosing to the State Auditor the contents of a client file for the purpose of conducting a non-financial performance audit under N.D.C.C. ch. 54-10 when the requested file includes information about individuals and businesses in the private sector who chose to contact P &A.
This issue was already addressed in a 1995 opinion of this office regarding P&A. The 1995 opinion highlighted that P&A has authority to contract with private attorneys to represent private individuals. 17 During that performance audit, auditors asked to see billings from the contracted attorneys. 18 P&A redacted the names of the individuals represented by the contract attorneys under the rules for attorney-client privilege or attorney-client confidentiality. 19 The names of individuals seeking services of P&A are protected under N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3. The opinion stated:
Thus, P&A’s records which indicate to whom its services were provided are available to the State Auditor for performance audit purposes. The State Auditor has
been given access by P&A to its records other than the attorney’s billings. Therefore, the State Auditor already has access to the names of the persons to whom P&A
provides services. State law requires that the State Auditor and his employees must keep such information confidential.
Here, P&A has not identified a specific record. Given that, I rely on the past opinions declaring that records made confidential by N.D.C.C. § 25-01.3-10 are available under N.D.C.C. § 54-10-22 to the State Auditor and the Auditor’s employees for audit purposes.
Link to opinion 2026-L-01
###
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