UK: The legal minimum age at which people can become train drivers to be lowered, with the Department for Transport saying thousands of jobs and apprenticeships are to be made available as early as December.
The current minimum legal age to become a train driver is 20, however the norm is to recruit drivers over 21. The change will allow the industry to recruit drivers aged 18 and upwards once their training is complete.
It can take around 12 months to complete training, which includes medical, psychological, fitness and general professional competence examinations as well as training on the infrastructure and rolling stock. After gaining a licence, there are ongoing training, monitoring and supervision requirements.
DfT said the change would reduce the ‘over reliance’ on rest day working and ensuring a steady stream of drivers entering the industry.
‘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’, said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on May 7.
DfT said the average age of a train driver is 48 and rising, with 30% due to reach retirement age by 2029. Less than 9% of drivers are female and less than 12% ethnic minorities.
Implementation plan
As a condition for lowing the minimum age, the government has asked industry to develop a co-ordinated plan to adapt current arrangements to support the change. This is to be submitted to DfT by August 7. DfT will review the plan with the Office of Rail & Road and determine a timeline for changing the Train Driving Licences & Certificates Regulations 2010.
This change will not apply to international services, including cross-border services through the Channel Tunnel, where the minimum age to be a train driver will remain 20 years old.
‘Overwhelming support’
DfT said its consultation on lowering the minimum age had received overwhelming support from across the industry.
It DfT said Transport for London opened up London Underground driver apprenticeships to 18-year-olds in 2007, while the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland currently have lower limits than the UK and countries including Japan are considering a change.
Mick Whelan, General Secretary of train drivers’ union ASLEF, said ‘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.’
He said the change would ‘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’.
Rail Safety & Standards Board CEO Mark Phillips said ’our research determined that 18-year-olds are capable of safely becoming train drivers and identified opportunities to improve how the rail industry manages competence for all drivers.
‘Starting a train driving career could be more appealing at 18 than at 20, as young people can choose it over pursuing a degree or an office job. It is an excellent career choice, offering the opportunity to work independently in a role that carries huge responsibility.’
