Systems and methods for data transport in an optical communications system, including generating a pairwise optimized (PO) multi-dimensional signal constellation in a single stage. The PO multi-dimensional signal constellation is generated by selecting a pair of symbols from a received constellation with M symbols, defining and minimizing an objective function with one or more constraints to optimize the selected pair of symbols, and iteratively selecting and optimizing one or more different pairs of symbols from the received constellation until a threshold condition is reached. Neighbor symbols from the generated PO multi-dimensional signal constellation in each polarization are clustered to formulate a clustered PO multi-dimensional signal constellation, and data is modulated and transmitted in accordance with the clustered PO multi-dimensional signal constellation.