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6/11/2026
Compiled by Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
When it comes to communications and signals (C&S) work, freight and passenger railroads still predominantly focus a lot of their attention on grade crossing improvements and upgrades.
So, it’s a good thing there are more dollars available at the federal and state levels to help fund crossing projects.
In late April, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $1.1 billion in grants are available through the Federal Railroad Administration’s crossing elimination/safety program. Grant applications were due June 8.
The funds can be used to build overpasses or underpasses, upgrade safety technology at crossings or relocate tracks to close a crossing.
At the state level, the Illinois Commerce Commission in March approved a five-year Crossing Safety Improvement Program that authorizes $376 million for crossing improvements at 387 locations between fiscal years 2027 and 2031. The funds will help pay for 21 new bridges, 336 warning device upgrades and 24 crossing improvement projects.
Moreover, the Ohio Rail Development Commission last month approved $39 million for six crossing elimination projects. The Ohio Grade Crossing Elimination Program provides funds to replace crossings with new roadway alignments and/or access roads.
Crossing projects aside, there is other C&S work that freight and passenger railroads hope to accomplish this year, such as signal upgrades. Our ninth annual C&S Spending Report attempts to provide information on it all.
Below, 37 railroad entities share their C&S work slates and/or budget figures for 2026, divided into separate freight and passenger railroad sections.
(by budget amount or size)
2026 C&S budget: $107.5 million
2025 C&S budget: $117 million
Major C&S projects: Focus on infrastructure reliability, asset modernization and obsolescence mitigation. Planned C&S capital projects prioritize yard system upgrades and process control retarders, signal reliability improvements, winter resiliency, communications modernization work and enhanced backup power.
2026 C&S budget: C$55 million
2025 C&S budget: C$58 million
Major C&S projects: Not provided.
2026 C&S budget: $53 million
2025 C&S budget: $48 million
Major C&S projects: Replace the following: bridge electrical and controls; positive train control (PTC) equipment; signal and crossing equipment; and a yard retarder and skate.
2026 C&S budget: $18.6 million
2025 C&S budget: $7.4 million
Note: Includes information for Ferrocarril Mexicano S.A. de C.V (FXE), Ferrocarril del Sureste S.A. de C.V. (FSRR), Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) and Texas Pacifico Transportation Ltd. Dollar figures in mStable USD (MUSD) currency.
Major C&S projects: Signals work for FXE Darias siding enlargement, $3.2 million, complete in June; year-long signal program for FEC, $2.6 million; signals work for FXE’s Celaya Bypass, $2.4 million, complete in December; signals work for FXE San Isidro siding enlargement, $2.1 million, complete in June; signals work for FXE La Mancha siding enlargement, $2.1 million, complete in June; batteries, signals and rail side devices substitution in FSRR network, $1.3 million, complete in December; signals work for FXE Symon siding enlargement, $1.1 million, complete in June; signals work for FXE Endho siding, $600,000, complete in June; and signals work for FXE Mieleras siding enlargement, $300,000, complete in June.
2026 C&S budget: $11 million
2025 C&S budget: $11.2 million
Major C&S projects: Complete control system upgrade at Upper Bay interlocking in Newark, NJ, including wayside material (year 3 of 3 for construction), $1.8 million; and install 1 skate retarder at Pavonia Yard in Camden, NJ, $500,000.
2026 C&S budget: $4.8 million
2025 C&S budget: $5.1 million
Major C&S projects: Install 27 new active warning devices; install dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) at legacy active warning devices; and install AEI readers in Illinois and Indiana. Also, plan 12 additional PTC installations in 2026, $3 million.* *Information from presentation at the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association’s (NRC) 2026 annual conference held in early January
2026 C&S budget: $5.1 million (crossings work)
2025 C&S budget: Not provided
Major C&S project Improve surfaces at 37 crossings for the Kanawha River Railroad; upgrade 1 crossing for the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad LLC; and upgrade a surface and signals at 1 crossing for the Stillwater Central Railroad.* *Information from presentation at the NRC’s 2026 annual conference
2026 C&S budget: Not provided
Major C&S projects Improve crossing signals/gates at various locations. Also, perform 23 crossing and signal projects for the Great Western Railway of Colorado LLC, and various crossings and signal projects for the Georgia & Florida Railway, Illinois Railway and Winchester and Western Railroad Co.* *Information from presentation at the NRC’s 2026 annual conference
Major C&S projects Upgrade crossings on Florida Gulf and Atlantic Railroad, $1.6 million; update crossings on Grenada Railroad, $160,000; and upgrade crossings on other properties combined, $110,000.
2026 C&S budget: Not provided (part of MOW budget)
Major C&S projects Install switch machines and cable in east receiving yard and bid work to include signal design project for GS-9 grade separation that’s part of the CREATE program in Chicago.
2025 C&S budget: $1,451,928 (signals O&M); $1,137,480 (communications O&M)
Major C&S projects Replace network switches supporting freight terminals, passenger depots and remote telecom sites, $400,000; upgrade 4 intermediate signal locations from incandescent lights to LED lighting, $400,000; conduct a lifecycle replacement project for servers that run the voice-over-IP (VOIP) phone system, $200,000; and add a small footprint PTC base station radio to improve PTC communications through the Palmer wye, $55,400.
2026 C&S budget: $500,000
2025 C&S budget: $500,000
Major C&S projects Phase 1 of new rail storage yard.
2026 C&S budget: $457,013
2025 C&S budget: $419,479
Major C&S projects Switch for new siding and other work.
2026 C&S budget: $400,000
2025 C&S budget: $460,000
Major C&S projects Not provided.
2026 C&S budget: Not provided (built into MOW budget)
Major C&S projects Signalize 2 existing passive public crossings, $2.6 million, start in Q2 and complete by 2026’s end.
2026 C&S budget: $386,000
2025 C&S budget: $239,000
Major C&S projects General maintenance.
2026 C&S budget: $273,000
2025 C&S budget: $269,000
Major C&S projects Section 130 crossing projects on the Livonia, Avon and Lakeville and Western New York and Pennsylvania railroads.
2026 C&S budget: $63,000
2025 C&S budget: $63,000
2026 C&S budget: Not provided (included in MOW budget)
2025 C&S budget: Not provided (included in MOW budget)
Major C&S projects Upgrade safety devices and crossing surface at 2 crossings on Moffett Rd. as part of Alabama DOT project, $2.94 million. .
2026 C&S budget: $1.07 billion
2025 C&S budget: $724.4 million
2026 C&S budget: $200 million to $250 million
2025 C&S budget: $100 million to $200 million
Major C&S projects Modernize the operating technology (OT) network to improve capacity and reliability, strengthening the backbone that supports the BARTNET/DOTI, security and unified (UNI) systems essential for revenue service, about $10 million to $13 million, complete in fall 2027.
Major C&S projects Replace signal system on New Haven Line from Greenwich to a new interlocking in Norwalk (Stamford portion to be performed at end of 2026); relocate utilities as part of Walk moveable bridge project; replace C&S system along New Haven Line from Greenwich and continue through New Haven; replace signal system on portion of Hudson Line from Croton Harmon to Poughkeepsie, NY, includes new signal block design and crossing warning system to replace existing vital relay-based signal system; and install CCTV cameras and digital video recorders at 34 crossings, complete by mid-2026.
2026 C&S budget: $59 million
Major C&S projects Complete upgrade of signals and interlockings between 11th Place and 65th St. on Metra Electric Line as part of NICTD service expansion, $26 million; and replace major components of lower Randolph St. interlocking outside Millenium Station, $4.5 million.
2026 C&S budget: $50 million
2025 C&S budget: $40 million
Major C&S projects Replace Southline signaling from Children’s Discovery Museum to Tamien Station, $30 million, start in late 2026 and complete in late 2028; and upgrade fiber from Whisman to Baypointe, $12 million, start in late 2026 and complete in late 2027.
2026 C&S budget: $22,284,315 (labor and non-labor capital budget)
2025 C&S budget: $74,141,700 (labor and non-labor capital budget)
Major C&S projects Upgrade vital processor on B/D line, involves replacing current track modules and relay logic (vital and non-vital relays) with microprocessor-based train control equipment, $70.1 million, complete in winter 2027; and upgrade communication transmission system (CTS) on A South, B and D lines, involves constructing a new backbone CTS fiber-optic cable network to replace existing legacy 48-strand fiber cable network and installing new single-mode, 288-strand fiber-optic cables, patch panel equipment, connectors, network switches and racks, $65,350,000, began in April.
Major C&S projects Third-party award to develop conceptual signal designs at 4 locations: Amott to Huntington, Far Rockaway Branch, Valley Interlocking, West Hampstead Branch and Amagansett Siding. Other scope of C&S work under development.
Major C&S projects Advance system resiliency projects to improve power and electrical systems and rail and signal operations, $9.7 million.
2026 C&S budget: $33.1 million
2025 C&S budget: $28.8 million
Major C&S projects Upgrade Vital Harmon Logic Controller (VHLC) to Electrologix at several locations; replace houses and signal system at 5 control points; and upgrade communications systems throughout the system.
2026 C&S budget: $20 million
2025 C&S budget: $20 million
Major C&S projects Continue to re-signal trunk line over 4 miles, $6 million, began in April 2023, completion unknown; continue to install consolidated train dispatching system on Red Line, $4.1 million, began in April 2023 and complete in June 2026; and continue to return 515 switch to service, $3.1 million, began in Aug. 2023 and complete in Aug. 2026.
2026 C&S budget: $18 million
2025 C&S budget: $8 million
Major C&S projects Upgrade train control and power systems with state-of-the-art control and communication equipment plus total upgrade of rail control, $12 million; replace obsolete US&S track circuit modules with Alstom ATC vital relays with processors, $5 million; and sustain current ATC train control, $1 million.
2026 C&S budget: $10,705,000
2025 C&S budget: $100,000
Major C&S projects Phase 8 of SPRINTER signal modernization, $5,675,000; phase 9 of SPRINTER signal modernization, $4,900,000; and PTC disaster recovery work, $130,000.
2026 C&S budget: $9.7 million
2025 C&S budget: $11.99 million
Major C&S projects Replace IVPi processor on Frontrunner, $25 million, began in Oct. 2025 and complete in Dec. 2030; rehab crossing gate (TRAX), $1.8 million, began in Aug. 2025 and complete in Dec. 2026; design 6 interlockings, $1.67 million, began in Aug. 2025 and complete in May 2027; procure Cushing and Beetdigger long lead, $1.5 million, began in April 2026 and complete in Sept. 2027; 2100 S & 1300 S USDOT queue cutters, $477,591, began in May 2025 and complete in July 2026; and replace Shepard Lane fiber, $301,727, began in Oct. 2025 and complete in Dec. 2026.
2026 C&S budget: $3.8 million
2025 C&S budget: $7 million
Major C&S projects Relocate center tower to Lindenwold Yard, $8 million; replace transformers at electrical substations phase 3, $3.3 million; replacement program for substation equipment, $3 million; and replace electrical cables in subways, $1.5 million.
Major C&S projects Continue to replace analog signal systems on Orange and Red lines with new digital infrastructure, $295.5 million (total both lines), work began in late 2018 and complete by 2026’s end. Information from authority’s website
Major C&S projects Conduct phase 2 of a track and signal project on the Blue Line in Minneapolis from May through August, includes the installation of a new signal system, phase 1 was completed last year and phase 3 will be conducted from April through July 2027. Information from agency’s website
Major C&S projects Perform signal safety work at NW 19th, NW 21st and NW 24th Aves.; upgrade fiber optic; and perform work at 3 crossings in Q2, 5 crossings in Q3 and 5 crossings in Q4.* *Information from presentation at the NRC’s 2026 annual conference