About

Junction Rail Consulting LLC was established with the goal of supporting the development of passenger rail service…bringing the benefits of one of the most environmentally and sustainable transportation modes to more communities.

Junction Rail Consulting brings decades of rail system evaluation and development experience to clients to assist in planning and managing the development of a rail system. Our goal is to help understand what might be beyond that curve. We strive to bring everything together in order to get a clear understanding of what is ahead to minimize surprises.

Junction Rail Consulting is happy to share our experiences so that clients can be effective in establishing safe new rail services that meet the needs of the communities they serve.

 Meet John 

John C. Weston, AICP

John has 30+ years of experience overseeing a wide range of transportation projects in every stage of project development, with a particular focus on rail and transit planning and operations studies.. He has a deep understanding of the issues associated with project implementation and the impacts transportation has on communities, ranging from assessing noise impacts to identifying opportunities for transit oriented development. With a focus on rail and transit projects, John has managed rail planning and design projects including policy studies, corridor feasibility and planning studies, environmental assessments, project permitting, track and station design, and construction phase services. John has a wealth of comprehensive rail and transit development knowledge and regularly draws on that knowledge to support clients, whether it be for the management of freight railroad grant programs or the development of operations and finance plans for transit services. John’s experience also includes many aspects of transit project planning and development of transportation policy plans, such as state rail plans and corridor management plans, and environmental analysis through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.

John holds a Masters of Planning from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Geography from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

John has also volunteered as a member of the Town of Reading’s Community Planning and Development Commission for over 15 years.

Career Highlights

Rail/Transit Service Development/Start-up

  • Led planning and start-up of Amtrak Berkshire Flyer, a seasonal weekend intercity rail service providing access to the Berkshires from New York City

  • Led planning and start-up of Amtrak Valley Flyer, a twice daily intercity rail service connecting Greenfield and Northampton with NYC.

  • Led planning and development of improvements to support the start-up of the Hoosac Valley Train Ride, a tourist train service between North Adams & Adams, MA.

  • Lead planner in Massachusetts’ coordination in the start-up of the CTRail/Amtrak Hartford Line service.

  • Led FTA New Starts Grant process for the MBTA Green Line Extension (GLX) project directly securing $996 million in federal funding for the project.

  • Project Manager developing evaluating service plans for the MBTA Cape Flyer weekend seasonal passenger rail service between Boston and Hyannis, MA

  • Supported the start-up of Puerto Rico’s Metro Urbano Bus Rapid Transit service with the development of operating and service plans for the 10 mile-long HOV-based BRT service.

  • Led planning for the start up of the Boston Express Commuter Bus service operating between Londonderry, NH and Boston, MA.

  • Deputy Project Manager in the planning and start-up of the Vermont Champlain Flyer commuter rail service between Charlotte and Burlington, VT.

  • Service manager for the Loudoun County Commuter Bus Service leading the expansion of service frequencies and stops on the subsidy-free, standing room only service.

Program Management

  • Managed the Massachusetts Industrial Rail Access Program to support investment of $3 million annually into freight rail infrastructure that leads to increased rail usage and associated job growth

  • Managed the Massachusetts Rail-Highway Grade Crossing (Section 130) Program to assess and improve safety at rail grade crossings across the Commonwealth

  • Key member of MBTA Green Line Extension program management team responsible for development of Operating Plan, Project Funding Plan and associated FTA grant requirements.

  • Program Manager providing multidisciplinary architectural and engineering support to USDOT Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.

  • Provided Project Management Oversight for FTA Major Capital Projects including NNEPRA/Maine DOT Downeaster, SEPTA Frankford Elevated Improvements, and Sun Juan Tren Urbano.

Transportation (Rail/Transit) Planning

  • Deputy Project Manger for the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative, a NEPA/Service Development Plan for Amtrak service between Boston, Springfield, Montreal and New Haven, CT.

  • Project Manager for noise & vibration evaluation of Amtrak’s East River Tunnels Rehabilitation Project.

  • Project Manager/Deputy Project Manager for the development of the Massachusetts State Rail Plan (2018), New Hampshire State Rail Plan (2012 and 2001), Vermont State Rail & Policy Plan (2006), supported the Maine Rail Plan (2014) and Rhode Island State Freight & Goods Movement Plan (2016)

  • Lead Transit Planner for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad’s Worcester Line Enhanced Capacity Study