The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that it has officially lowered the minimum age requirement to become a train driver in the UK by three years, with new jobs and apprenticeship schemes set to launch in December.
The decision will see young people aged 18 and over able to gain jobs in a wealth of areas within the rail workforce, with the decision having been made in order to future-proof the country’s railway system.
The DfT has stated that the move to lower the minimum age requirement will aim to reduce current levels of delays and cancellations related to driver shortages, which currently accounts for 87% of cancellations made the night before a service runs.
With the average age of a train driver currently sitting at 48 years old and 30% due to reach retirement age by 2029, the DfT hopes that bringing younger talent into the role will bridge the gap, preventing future shortages and improving services across the country.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:We’re taking bold action to improve train services and unlock thousands of jobs.
We’re committed to getting the economy moving and a big part of that is getting young people into the workforce, putting them on track for a skilled and fulfilling career which will boost growth across the country and help deliver our Plan for Change.
We’re future-proofing our railways against delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers, ensuring that we can provide reliable, passenger focused train journeys under Great British Railways for decades to come.
The decision follows a lengthy consultation undertaken by the DfT in 2024 which received overwhelming support for the lowered age requirement.
A number of other countries have adopted a lower age limit for train drivers, with the minimum requirement having been successfully lowered thus far in the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Germany, with Japan currently considering a change in their own laws. Transport for London also opened up its train driver apprenticeships to 18-year-olds to drive trains on the underground network in 2007.
With less than 9% of the rail workforce within the UK being female and less than 12% represented by ethnic minorities, the move is also hoped to open up professional opportunities to a wide range of people across the country.
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, said:ASLEF has been campaigning for many years for the lowering of the age at which drivers can start training.
This decision – to allow people to leave school, or college, and join the railway in the driving grade at 18 rather than wait until they’re 20 – will increase diversity in the driver’s cab by encouraging more BAME people, more LGBT+ people, and more women – as well as more young people – to drive trains on Britain’s railways.
Because, at the moment, young people who want to become train drivers leave school or college at 18, get other jobs, and we miss out as an industry as they don’t wait around until they turn 20 to find a career.
Whilst the current minimum legal age to become a train driver in the UK is 20, current industry norms are to recruit drivers over the age of 21, as it can take around a year to complete the training. The change in minimum age will now permit industry to recruit drivers aged 18 and upwards as soon as their training is complete.
Each applicant will be required to undergo a rigorous training regime in order to ensure they are both medically & psychologically fit, as well as be subjected to a lengthy training period.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:By opening up this vital sector to more young people, we’re not only creating a pathway to high-skilled careers but also addressing the skills shortages that hold back our transport network and economic growth. This is another step forward in our mission to break down barriers and create new opportunities for young people.
This is our Plan for Change in action: bringing in fresh, diverse talent, tackling skills shortages, and helping to grow our economy across every part of the country.
