Labor will introduce legislation to lower the minimum age of train drivers to 18 in the House of Commons this week, with figures showing that fewer than 30 drivers on Great Britain’s railways are under 30.
The government is moving forward Proposals for teenage recruitsministers hope that lowering the minimum age from the current 20 will prevent thousands of drivers from being left behind.
A massive exodus through retirements threatens to exacerbate driver shortages and worsen rail reliability, with staffing shortages already a big reason for late-notice cancellations.
The current average age of Great Britain’s 24,00 train drivers is 48, and 25% of them will reach retirement age before 2030.
According to a report by the National Skills Academy for Rail, there could be a shortage of 2,500 drivers within four years.
Many train drivers continue to drive into their 70s, with many retiring before the state pension age, eligible for a railway pension at 62.
Nearly two in five train drivers in Wales, which has the lowest life expectancy in Britain, are over 55.
The latest workforce survey published in the department transportation Estimates last month showed that less than 3% of train drivers in Great Britain are under 30.
Train drivers’ union Aslef, which has long campaigned to lower the minimum age, admits members up to the age of 35 in its youth wing. Asleff said getting 18-year-old drivers into the cab would not only help the railway recruit the numbers it needs, but also increase diversity and better reflect the communities it serves.
Rob Keatley, 31, chair of Aslef’s young members’ committee and a driver with GWR, said: “It’s fantastic to see the legislation now in place”.
He said: “As young train drivers we have been campaigning for this change for years, to level the playing field and bring our industry in line with other parts of public transport such as buses and the London Underground.
“By expanding the goalposts for young candidates to join the driving grade, we open the door to new talent that might otherwise be lost.”
The government declined to comment ahead of the expected announcement. however, Last year’s proposals are being discussedTransport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said they would help “future-proof our railways against delays and cancellations caused by driver shortages” and drive growth by “getting young people into the workforce and keeping them on track for skilled and fulfilling careers”.
While the move to a nationalized and integrated Great British Railways may have slowed down change, train operators in limited franchises were sometimes reluctant to invest in training young drivers – midlife joiners, often more liable to change jobs than ex-military personnel.
However, Asleff argues that recruiting younger drivers will increase diversity, with more people joining straight from school.
Dave Calf, the union’s general secretary, said: “Currently, many young people choose their careers by the age of 18 and are missing out on the industry. This change will give the rail industry the opportunity to recruit the large numbers of train drivers it will need over the next five years.
Getting a job remains a challengecompetition for places, psychometric tests and 12-18 months of training. Average salaries are around £70,000.
In other parts of Europe, including Germany, the Netherlands and France, drivers can already start at 18. Interestingly, teenage train drivers may soon be allowed on either side of the Channel thanks to a bilateral agreement between the UK and France, but not to drive trains through the tunnel that connects them.
