At the regularly scheduled South Dakota Railroad Board meeting held Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023, board members approved grant request applications for several projects for use of the FY2022 and FY2023 allocation of Special Transportation Circumstance (STC) grant funds. The STC grant program is offered through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program.
“The STC funds are dedicated to three states, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Alaska, who do not have passenger rail (Amtrak),” said Joel Jundt, Secretary South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT). “The STC grant funds are dedicated to provide the financial resources to improve South Dakota’s freight railroad infrastructure, which is vital to the continued growth and development of our economy.”
In this grant application cycle, $58.8 million was available for allocation. Approved STC grant applications and federal funding amounts include:
Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad ($14,062,328)
Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad ($17,600,360)
Belle Fourche Economic Development Corporation ($837,440)
Dakota & Iowa Railroad ($9,957,245)
Ringneck and Western Railroad ($8,310,932)
Sisseton Milbank Railroad ($3,241,040)
The Railroad Board also approved an amendment to the 2020 STC Meet and Pass grant for Ringneck and Western Railroad in the amount of $797,353 in STC funds.