The UK is set to lower its minimum age for becoming a train driver to tackle a staff shortage in the rail sector. Dropping the age threshold for train drivers from 20 to 18 years old is one way of addressing a crisis that will see 30% of the current driver workforce, whose average age is 48, retire within the next four years.
Rail transport in the UK is heavily dependent on driver goodwill, as most services cannot run at a full schedule without drivers volunteering to work overtime, meaning drivers are pressured to undertake “rest day working.” Up to 87% of cancellations are the result of driver shortages. These working conditions are part of the reason for the industrial strike action taking place this spring.
“We miss out” on young recruits
But the new approach to driver recruitment would mean school-leavers could be taken on earlier to complete the two-year training period necessary for train drivers. The measure is predicted to encourage apprenticeship take-up and increase not only the size of the recruitment pool but its diversity. Bringing youngsters into the sector earlier would help to avoid them being “poached” by other industries, commentators say.
Mick Whelan, of 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.”
🛤️Two generations, one track.
— Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) May 7, 2025
Meet Pat, one of the UK's longest-serving train drivers, and Grace, one of the youngest to take the controls.
Under our new plans, 18-year-olds will be able to take up a career as a train driver, giving them the opportunity to start a career on the… pic.twitter.com/vbmuXc7Xbm
Starting salaries over €35,000
“Other countries around Europe already allow people as young as 18 to drive domestic trains. And they’re seeing the benefits associated with this,” the Rail Safety and Standards Board notes on its website. The move to bring the UK in line with its European counterparts comes after a consultation in 2024 that gave “overwhelming support from across the industry” to the idea of lowering the age threshold for drivers, according to the Department for Transport. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said as a result of that support, the government is “taking bold action to improve train services and unlock thousands of jobs.”
We're lowering the minimum age for train drivers in Great Britain from 20 to 18 years old.
— Department for Transport (@transportgovuk) May 7, 2025
This change will attract fresh talent to build up our rail workforce for the future, improving services by helping to prevent delays and cancellations on the network. pic.twitter.com/Tgj3vFZ8s1
Before the plan can be actioned, which could be as soon as December 2025, legal steps must be completed and a plan for young driver integration developed. Assessment and qualification standards will remain the same. While different train companies offer different remuneration packages, starting salaries for train drivers are around £30,000 (over €35,000) per year and average pay for the role was double that in 2023. Drivers are also due an increase according to the latest negotiations.