South Dakota crossing facts for reporters
Each fact below comes from the federal crossing inventory and links to the page that shows the same number. Quote it, cite the dated version, and add the state chart to your story.
Data of .
- Public crossings
- 1,875
- Public crossings with gates
- 7%
- Public crossings in a quiet zone
- 3
Facts you can quote
The federal inventory lists 1,875 public railroad crossings in South Dakota.
See it on the South Dakota crossings pageSouth Dakota has the 29th most public crossings among states.
See it on the crossing facts page7% of public crossings in South Dakota have gates. Another 209 crossings have flashing lights without gates, and 1,343 crossings have signs only.
See it on the South Dakota crossings pageThe crossing with the most trains in South Dakota is on Elk St in Edgemont. It reports 29 trains a day.
See it on the crossing 064883E12 public crossings in South Dakota report 20 or more trains a day.
See it on the South Dakota crossings pageMinnehaha has more public crossings than any other county in South Dakota, with 176.
See it on the South Dakota crossings page3 public crossings in South Dakota are inside a quiet zone, where trains are not required to sound the horn at the crossing.
See it on the South Dakota quiet zones page119 incidents were reported to the FRA at public crossings in South Dakota since 2016.
See it on the South Dakota crossings page
Counts are reported records, not a rating of any crossing. Incidents are the reports railroads file with the FRA.
How to cite this data
Put this line under a chart or at the end of your story.
Source: Federal Railroad Administration crossing inventory, via Rail Crossing Atlas (South Dakota, data of 21 October 2026).
This link always opens the same version of the data, even after later updates: South Dakota data, version of 21 October 2026. The method page for that version explains each source: sources and dates.
Add the South Dakota chart to your story
Paste this code into your page. It shows a dated card with the state's counts and a link back to the source.
<iframe src="https://railcrossingatlas.tansolutions.org/embed/state/south-dakota?theme=auto" title="Railroad crossings in South Dakota" width="400" height="520" style="width:100%;max-width:400px;border:0" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin"></iframe>
Questions about the data
Write to atlas@tansolutions.org with the page link and your question. We can explain a source, a date or a count.