The Department for Transport has opened a public consultation into lowering the minimum age for becoming a train driver from 20 to 18.

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If the new proposals are agreed upon, they could be in place as soon as this summer and offer a path for thousands of young people into a career in the railway industry when they leave school.

Many train drivers are due to retire in the next five years, and as the average age of a train driver is 48, unless more opportunities are opened up for new recruits, the workforce is projected to continue to shrink.

By attracting more drivers, the industry would be in a better position to provide a more reliable service when staff are off sick or on annual leave.

Attracting young people to the industry would therefore be a positive step and provide passengers with more reliable services.

To ensure continued safety on the railways, all prospective train drivers would have to undergo the same stringent training as currently required.

As well as being trained on the infrastructure and rolling stock they would be deployed on, trainees would have to pass mandatory medical, psychological, fitness, and general professional competence examinations.

As part of complying with their licence and certificate conditions, all train drivers undergo continuous training, monitoring, and supervision.

The consultation will endeavour to find out how the processes for selecting, training, monitoring, and supervising train drivers could be adapted to support a change in the minimum age.

The proposal is part of the Government’s reform of our laws following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, using powers under the Retained EU Law (Reform and Revocation) Act 2023, to support the country’s rail industry.

The consultation is open for responses from today, Thursday, 16th May until 23.59 on 13th June 2024 and can be found by clicking here.

For several years, train operators have been training apprentices to become train drivers, and last year, a Transport for Wales train driver was named Apprentice of the Year

We want to open the door for young people considering transport as a career, and this proposal could give school-leavers a clear path into the sector.

By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating opportunities for more young people.

Huw Merriman, Rail Minister