Communication system for a rail vehicle and method for communicating with a rail vehicle

A communication system (106, 126) for a rail vehicle (100, 102, 104) includes a transceiver assembly (200, 202), a selection module (204, 206), and a monitoring module (212, 214). The transceiver assembly (200, 202) selectively communicates a data signal over a plurality of communication channels. The data signal is related to distributed power operations of the rail vehicle (100, 102, 104). The selection module (204, 206) is communicatively coupled with the transceiver assembly (200, 202) and switches the transceiver assembly (200, 202) to any of the communication channels. The monitoring module (212, 214) is communicatively coupled with the selection module (204, 206) and determines a load parameter of one or more of the communication channels. The load parameter is based on a population value of the one or more communication channels. The selection module (204, 206) switches the transceiver assembly (200, 202) to a selected channel of the communication channels based on the load parameter for communicating the data signal over the selected channel.