THE former operator of Poole Park’s miniature railway has offered to replace the entire track and have the attraction up and running this year.

Chris Bullen, who was overlooked by Borough of Poole (BOP) in favour of the Friends of Poole Park (FoPP) charity, told the Echo: “I have expressed further interest in running this iconic Poole attraction and am currently waiting for a response from Poole Council.

“I would be prepared to work hand-in-hand with the council to ensure its future return for a fair contract to both parties.

“The people of Poole deserve the reinstatement of the railway as part of their historical heritage.”

Mr Bullen, pictured right, who ran the mini railway between 2004 and 2017, was given just 24-hours to remove equipment following the end of his tenancy agreement in January last year.

He did submit a new bid as part of the tender exercise, carried out by BOP, but the contract went to FoPP, despite the charity having no experience of operating any such attraction.

However, council chiefs ordered the termination of that FoPP contract earlier this month.

The service had been suspended since May, following derailments and the mass walkout of volunteers, but council officials had given FoPP until mid-June to get the railway back up and running.

After the FoPP contact was ended, Cllr John Rampton, cabinet portfolio holder for environment and open spaces at BOP, said: “The council is considering the option to run the service in-house which may continue to involve volunteers.

“The council has a strong record of working with volunteers and recognises the railway needs professional oversight, both operationally and financially.

“It is also a way of retaining income from the railway operation for the benefit of the park.”

Mr Bullen has told the Echo he was “hugely disappointed” at being unable to continue running the attraction in 2017.

He said: “So despite running this operation for almost 14 years, opening in all weathers and knowing the job inside out, I lost the tender to a charity with no train running experience. I was gutted.

“My tender stated that I was to replace the track in September 2017 for the season of 2018 at no expense to the people of Poole or the council, to tie in with the lottery work being carried out in the park.”

The miniature railway has been operating since 1949.