Talyllyn Railway Press Release - Tracey Parkinson to become General Manager of East...

The Talyllyn Railway today announced that their General Manager, Tracey Parkinson, will be leaving on 7 July 2017 to take up the position of General Manager of the East Lancashire Railway.


During her time on the Talyllyn Tracey has spearheaded many developments and innovations on the Railway. News of her impending departure has been greeted with regret on the Railway, but also wishing her well for the future.

Commenting on Tracey’s appointment to her new role David Ventry, Chairman of the Talyllyn Railway Company, said:

‘We are sad to see Tracey leave after her time with us. She has brought a fresh perspective on many aspects of the work here and will leave the Railway in a much improved situation. However, more than that, Tracey has won a place in people's hearts and we will miss her as a person, for her warmth and enthusiasm, her willingness to get stuck in to even the most menial chore and her ability to listen and make people feel valued. These are qualities I have no doubt will serve her well at the East Lancashire Railway and I am sure she will be a great success there.’

Tracey herself says:

‘I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Talyllyn and we have made positive steps to strengthen the sustainability of the Railway, with growth in passenger numbers and revenue. I am confident that the team here will continue in this way and deliver the very best for the Railway.’

Mike Kelly, Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway, said:

‘The appointment of our General Manager comes at a crucial juncture in sustaining the East Lancashire Railway’s recent upward growth in visitor numbers and revenue along with managing a number of exciting and important station developments which it is hoped will culminate in securing a cross platform connection to the mainline station at Castleton, Rochdale. Achievement of these challenges will consolidate the ELR as a premier North West leisure destination offering a unique heritage experience for our many hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Tracey was an outstanding candidate and comes to the ELR with an abundance of heritage, mainline and customer care experience along with an impressive portfolio of organisational improvements wherever Tracey has worked.

Tracey is rooted in heritage and is a key part of the heritage family nationally and we are very pleased to welcome Tracey as our new general manager to the ELR later this year’.

Also commenting on her departure, Ian Drummond, Chairman of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, stated:

‘Tracey has made a great impact during her time with us and we are very sorry to see her go. However, now we are going to be looking forward and seeking to find the right person to continue the work here. Tracey has helped us put in place many new strategies, and has also kick-started a number of initiatives which we wish to see continue and bear fruit. In recent months we have been working to develop a future vision for the Railway, and this will help guide us in our future decisions. It is our firm desire to see the Railway continue to move forwards and be at the forefront of the Heritage Railway movement.’

Following Tracey’s departure David Ventry will be standing in as Interim Managing Director until a new General Manager is in post.

The photo shows Tracey Parkinson on the footplate of ‘Captain Baxter’ with fireman Will Smith during Talyllyn Railway’s Grand Finale Gala in July 2016. Photo by Darren Turner.


For further information about this press release please e-mail: pressoffice [at] talyllyn [dot] co [dot] uk