Legislation to allow 18-year-olds to train as train drivers will be introduced in the House of Commons this week, in a government bid to tackle a looming shortage of thousands of drivers on Great Britain’s railways, as outlined by The Guardian.
The move would lower the current minimum age of 20. Ministers hope the change will help stave off a potential shortfall, with a National Skills Academy for Rail report indicating the network could be 2,500 drivers short within four years.
The driver shortage is already a significant cause of late-notice cancellations, and the situation is set to intensify due to a wave of retirements. The current average age of the UK’s 24,000 drivers is 48, and about a quarter are expected to reach retirement age before 2030.
Most drivers retire well ahead of the state pension age, as they become eligible for a railway pension at 62. In Wales, which has Britain’s lowest life expectancy, almost two in five drivers are over 55.
Union Backing and Diversity Drive
The train drivers’ union Aslef has long campaigned for the lower age limit and says the change will help recruit the necessary numbers while increasing diversity to better reflect local communities. The union’s young members committee chair, Rob Kitley, a 31-year-old driver, called it “fantastic to see the legislation now being put in place”.
Aslef argues that recruiting younger people, including those straight from school, will widen the talent pool. Its general secretary, Dave Calfe, stated that the industry currently misses out on many who make career choices at 18. The union already admits members up to age 35 into its youth wing.
Last year, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said such proposals would help “future-proof our railways against delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers” and aid growth by “getting young people into the workforce”.
Training and European Context
Despite the potential for younger recruits, securing a driver’s job remains highly competitive, involving psychometric tests and 12 to 18 months of training. The average salary is about £70,000.
The shift towards a nationalised Great British Railways may have eased the path for the change, as train operators on limited franchises have sometimes been reluctant to invest in training younger drivers, who were seen as more likely to change jobs.
Drivers can already start at 18 in several other European nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, and France. However, a bilateral agreement means teenage drivers would not be permitted to operate trains through the Channel Tunnel.
The latest workforce data shows fewer than 3% of train drivers in Great Britain are under 30 years old.
