Minimum age for train drivers to be lowered to 18 in Great Britain

If train drivers – like police officers – start looking younger, it may not just be you. Britain’s trains could soon have 18-year-olds in the cab, with the government likely to cut the minimum age to plug a shortage of drivers.

Currently train drivers can obtain a licence from the age of 20 – although the vast majority of drivers are much older.

The Department for Transport said the change could lead to teenage applicants being recruited from December. The government hopes to boost job prospects for young people, with thousands of apprenticeships made available to school-leavers, as well as making train services more reliable.

According to data from the rail regulator ORR, 87% of P-coded cancellations – those made the night before a service is scheduled to run – are caused by driver shortages. Services are also frequently disrupted because of a reliance on “rest day working” across parts of the industry where operators rely on drivers voluntarily undertaking additional shifts.

Unions and the rail industry also hope the move will lead to a more diverse workforce at the controls. Drivers are typically white middle-aged men, with an average age of 48. Fewer than 9% of train drivers are female, while under 12% are from a minority ethnic background.

The move is also partly prompted by a looming retirement crisis: about 25%-30% of approximately 27,000 drivers in Britain are due to reach the retirement age of 65 in the next five years.

The DfT said the decision to lower the recruitment age now would bridge this gap, preventing any future shortages and ensuring consistent, reliable services for passengers.

The move comes after a consultation launched by the previous government, and as ministers plan wider reform under a nationalised Great British Railways.

Heidi Alexander said the move would unlock thousands of jobs. The transport secretary said: “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.

“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.”

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said it had long been campaigning to lower the age at which drivers could start training. He said: “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.

“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.”

The DfT pointed out that several other countries, including the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland, had already safely adopted a lower age limit.

It typically takes about 12 months before a trainee can start driving trains.