According to the department, 87% of night-before cancellations are due to driver unavailability, prompting concerns over service reliability.

The British government has lowered the minimum age for train drivers from 20 to 18 in a bid to tackle severe staff shortages across the railway sector, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced on Tuesday.

According to the department, 87% of night-before cancellations are due to driver unavailability, prompting concerns over service reliability.

“With 87% of night-before cancellations made because a driver is unavailable,” the DfT said, “the government has decided to lower the age of entry by a couple of years.”

At present, the average age of a British train driver is 48, with around 30% expected to retire by 2029. Many rail operators are said to rely on drivers taking voluntary overtime to keep services running, making the need for younger recruits more urgent.

A consultation on the proposed age change was held last year and received “overwhelming support from across the industry,” the DfT added.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the change was necessary to improve long-term staffing levels. 

“The government was future-proofing the railways against delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers.”

Research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board found that younger candidates are fit for the role, stating that 18-year-olds are “capable of safely becoming train drivers.”

Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, supported the decision. “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.”

Countries like France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands already allow 18-year-olds to operate trains. 

In the UK, Transport for London opened its Underground driver apprenticeships to 18-year-olds in 2007.

Training to become a mainline driver typically takes one to two years, and standards for assessment and qualification will remain unchanged. 

New job and apprenticeship opportunities could begin as early as December, the DfT said.