Minimum age for train drivers being lowered to 18 to address shortage

BBC News

30-05-2025

"If I could go back and talk to my 18 year old self, I'd force myself into the railway," said Ben Warner, a recently qualified train driver.Mr Warner, who works for Great Western Railway (GWR), is nearly 40 but from December could find himself surrounded by teenagers as the minimum age for train drivers has been lowered from 20 to 18, to help with driver shortages.His base is Westbury, Wiltshire, and told the BBC: "Look out of the window - best office in the world."With the changes set to come into place later in the year, we take a look at what is involved with training and qualifying to become a train driver.
Adam Walding is a driving standards manager with GWR - drivers in training get their final tests with him.He explained training is usually about 10 months, including three to four months of theory - covering what everything in the cab does.There is then another process for a few months of sitting with drivers, who will give you "direct instruction, as you progress, that instruction reduces"."You then have a five-day final driving test with somebody like myself."
He said that to get into training at 18, people need to think about their transferable skills: "Start building your CV - what does a train driver do? What do I do?"My first job for example was working in a shop, I used some of the safety examples from that in my interview."Mr Walding said someone's age should not make a difference: "If someone has the right transferable skills, age shouldn't be a barrier."Meanwhile, Mr Warner said he enjoys his work, but admitted it is a "massive responsibility"."The training GWR put us through is so rigorous. My first day as a qualified driver, I felt ready to go, I felt in a really strong position to take the train where it needed to be."
Mr Walding explained that young people who previously wanted to learn at 18 would have had to find another role but now the opportunity is there for them."The more colleagues we have available to us the less likelihood your train will be cancelled because of a lack of train crew," he said.Earlier this month, the government said 87% of cancellations made the night before a service runs were down to driver shortages.The average train driver is aged 48, with 30% due to reach retirement age by 2029, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said lowering the minimum age was about "future-proofing" the railways, adding that it was "bold action to improve train services and unlock thousands of jobs".