Illinois approves $400M for rail crossing safety

The Illinois Commerce Commission approved a $400 million Crossing Safety Improvement Program over the next five years starting in fiscal-year 2026.

Through the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPR) and Rebuild Illinois programs, communities will receive funding for improvements to 963 crossings, said ICC officials in a press release.

Among the projects planned in the safety program are upgrades to lighting, gates and automatic warning devices, grade separation construction and reconstruction, pedestrian gate installation and separation of pedestrian crossings from tracks.

Projects are selected for funding based on the safety of the existing crossing, collision history, traffic volume, engineering requirements and geological location. Federal Railroad Administration data indicates there were 80 collisions at public crossings in Illinois in 2024, down from 89 in 2023.

Illinois’ rail system has more than 10,000 public grade crossings. The ICC’s Crossing Safety Improvement Plan "is an essential tool" for improving the safety of the state’s rail infrastructure, said ICC Commissioner Michael Carrigan.