Great Value Train Travel
Following recently winning the prestigious ‘Great Place To Work’ title at the National Rail Awards, the pioneering open access operator Hull Trains is highlighting the fantastic career opportunities available for people from a wide range of backgrounds to join the organisation.
Testimony to that approach is Hull Trains’ Driving Simulator Manager, Dave Kildea who has been with the organisation since May 2023. With a primarily military background in the Army from 1985 to 1991 and with the RAF from 1991 to 2014, Kildea has applied his vast engineering and flying experience to a new career with the railways.
"There are so many transferable skills that have been of great benefit to me,” he explains. “Concentration, focus, punctuality, discipline, procedures and honesty are all vital factors in military life and have just as much emphasis for train drivers at Hull Trains.”
Kildea’s background is heavily engineering focused having worked on hovercrafts, helicopters and Lockheed C-130 Hercules transportation planes, as an Air Engineer. When he became a Flight Instructor on the Boeing 707 towards the end his RAF career, he also found a passion in teaching and developing the next generation.
Dave Kildea continues, “Prior to leaving the RAF in 2014, I had picked up some paperwork from a colleague’s desk about the rail industry and thought it might make a nice change. After a five-and-a-half-year spell as a driver with Northern, an opportunity to become a Train Driver Instructor at First TransPennine Express arose, operating their bi-mode trains. I then moved to Hull Trains in 2023 to manage our new state-of-the-art simulator and train up the drivers here.”
Kildea now works with aspiring drivers at Hull Trains, which operates daily services along the East Coast mainline route between Beverley and King’s Cross in London. He enjoys helping others like him who feel like it’s time to move their career onto a new track.
For Dave, Hull Trains is an organisation that he’d certainly recommend to others: “I work with all different types of individuals, people who come straight to driver training, existing colleagues who are looking to switch onboard roles and people like myself who are coming from completely different backgrounds. I always find those who understand the demands of shift work and are who are highly motivated tend to do well.
“Hull Trains is really welcoming to all, the size of the organisation means it’s just perfect, because everyone knows everyone else and understand the roles each other fulfil. I still occasionally get to drive the trains, to maintain my competence and cover services when needed. I love my role and it gives me a great sense of pride seeing people I’ve worked with develop their careers.”
Hull Trains Service Delivery Director, Louise Mendham, commented: “People like Dave are the heartbeat of our organisation. He’s got an impressive background with relevant experience of both engineering and teaching which makes him perfect for this role. We’re always keen to hear from other people who might have transferable skills and who aspire to a rewarding career with Hull Trains.”
Testimony to that approach is Hull Trains’ Driving Simulator Manager, Dave Kildea who has been with the organisation since May 2023. With a primarily military background in the Army from 1985 to 1991 and with the RAF from 1991 to 2014, Kildea has applied his vast engineering and flying experience to a new career with the railways.
"There are so many transferable skills that have been of great benefit to me,” he explains. “Concentration, focus, punctuality, discipline, procedures and honesty are all vital factors in military life and have just as much emphasis for train drivers at Hull Trains.”
Kildea’s background is heavily engineering focused having worked on hovercrafts, helicopters and Lockheed C-130 Hercules transportation planes, as an Air Engineer. When he became a Flight Instructor on the Boeing 707 towards the end his RAF career, he also found a passion in teaching and developing the next generation.
Dave Kildea continues, “Prior to leaving the RAF in 2014, I had picked up some paperwork from a colleague’s desk about the rail industry and thought it might make a nice change. After a five-and-a-half-year spell as a driver with Northern, an opportunity to become a Train Driver Instructor at First TransPennine Express arose, operating their bi-mode trains. I then moved to Hull Trains in 2023 to manage our new state-of-the-art simulator and train up the drivers here.”
Kildea now works with aspiring drivers at Hull Trains, which operates daily services along the East Coast mainline route between Beverley and King’s Cross in London. He enjoys helping others like him who feel like it’s time to move their career onto a new track.
For Dave, Hull Trains is an organisation that he’d certainly recommend to others: “I work with all different types of individuals, people who come straight to driver training, existing colleagues who are looking to switch onboard roles and people like myself who are coming from completely different backgrounds. I always find those who understand the demands of shift work and are who are highly motivated tend to do well.
“Hull Trains is really welcoming to all, the size of the organisation means it’s just perfect, because everyone knows everyone else and understand the roles each other fulfil. I still occasionally get to drive the trains, to maintain my competence and cover services when needed. I love my role and it gives me a great sense of pride seeing people I’ve worked with develop their careers.”
Hull Trains Service Delivery Director, Louise Mendham, commented: “People like Dave are the heartbeat of our organisation. He’s got an impressive background with relevant experience of both engineering and teaching which makes him perfect for this role. We’re always keen to hear from other people who might have transferable skills and who aspire to a rewarding career with Hull Trains.”
