10 Aug 2023

Those were the words that one Cardiff dispatcher’s mum said to him back in 1973 when he was just 16. But 50 years on and David “Dave” Covington is showing it was very much the right decision for him.

Having celebrated the milestone in July, Dave says he loves his job as much as he ever did.

“It’s my colleagues and helping the customers that I love most,” said Dave, 66.

“I’ve made some great friends here. I can’t believe it’s been 50 years. I can still remember my first day. When I left school my mum had said ‘whatever you do, don’t join the railway’!”

Having joined as a junior railway man in his native Kent in July 1973, Dave worked a number of roles, including spending six years as a guard on South Eastern Railway.

A dedicated Gillingham football fan, he would frequently travel the length and breadth of the UK following his team. But it was at one football event in south Wales that would change the course of his life.

“We’d gone to an event in Cardiff with football and got very drunk before the coach back,” explained Dave.

“I ended up meeting a Welsh girl there and we’ve been together ever since!”

Dave moved from Kent up to Porth in the valleys to continue his rail career as he settled down into family life back in 1985. He would spend several years at the station before moving to Cardiff Queen Street and later Cardiff Central in the 1990s.

Working as a dispatcher, Dave has enjoyed passing on his knowledge and experience to new starters.

“I enjoy working with the new learners,” added Dave. “You can often tell who can make it and some of the best ones are thinking two or three trains in advance about where they need to be.

“It can be a challenge, especially when there is disruption and when customers are asking you questions while you’re trying to dispatch but you get by.

“Quite a lot has changed since I started in Cardiff and back then we only had a couple of platforms to the valleys to think about. Now there’s 8 and 0 too and we have far more trains coming through than ever before. I’m looking forward to the future and seeing all the new trains in place.”

Dave’s colleagues held a special event to mark his achievement with a railway cake and messages on the customer information boards.

Operations Manager at Cardiff Central Richard Martin said: “Dave has been an integral part of the team at Cardiff for so many years and his knowledge is second to none.

“We’re very proud to have him here, so congratulations Dave and let’s hope there are many more years to come.”