PIERRE, S.D.(KCCR)- Two railroads connected to central South Dakota survived examination by the State Railroad Board Wednesday and were approved to move forward with Special Transportation Circumstance grants.   Tony Solce with Ringneck and Western Railroad told the Board there’s been no changes to the application but work continues on the former MRC line from Mitchell to Presho.

General Manager Kley Cameron says they are trying to get more involved in the communities they serve.

The Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern’s S-T-C grant also gained approval from the Board.  That project will replace culverts and other drainages that are at the highest risk of failure.  All eight of the structures were damaged during flooding in 2019.  The R-C-P and E was recently awarded a RAISE grant to help with an 84-million dollar upgrade to the Pierre to Rapid City subdivision.  Senior Vice President Jerry Vest says the S-T-C grant is needed to supplement the biggest project in company history.

Ringneck and Western’s grant request is for 60-percent of its project’s costs of one-point-eight million dollars for a transload and locomotive maintenance facility in Plankinton.  The R-C-P and E grant request is for 800-thousand dollars of a one-million dollar project.