PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s governor is proposing legislation that would fold the state’s Railroad Board and two other commissions into a single organization addressing all transportation matters.
KELO-TV reports state Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt outlined the proposal from Gov. Larry Rhoden’s administration at the Dec. 17 meeting of the Railroad Board. It would fold that organization, the state Aeronautics Commission, and the state Transportation Commission into a single body within the state Department of Transportation. That nine-member body would still be called the Transportation Commission, but would be required to include two members with a rail background and two with an aviation background.
A document presented to Railroad Board members, including draft legislation, makes the argument that “different transportation modes (air, rail, and highway) are increasingly connected in a developing world, and the citizens and state would be better served by a unified intermodal governing commission with knowledge and expertise across the different transportation modes.”
“The goal is to really eliminate some of the silos we have with these separate commissions,” Jundt told the meeting, according to KELO, “and in essence encompass all of their respective functions into one commission that would handle all transportation-related issues or items.”
The Railroad Board oversees South Dakota’s state-owned rail lines, including the ability to purchase or sell such lines.
Plans are to introduce the legislation enabling in the change during the 2026 legislative session that opens Jan. 13. If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2026. Rhoden would select which members of the three current bodies serve on the revised Transportation Commission.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
