Labour will introduce legislation to lower the minimum age for train drivers to 18 in the House of Commons this week, as figures show fewer than 3% of drivers on Great Britain\u2019s railways are under 30.<\/p>\n
The government is pressing ahead with its proposals for teenage recruits<\/a>, lowering the minimum age from 20, in a move that ministers hope will stave off a potential shortage of thousands of drivers.<\/p>\n A looming mass exodus through retirement threatens to intensify driver shortages and worsen train reliability, with a lack of crew already a big cause of late-notice cancellations.<\/p>\n The current average age of Great Britain\u2019s 24,000 train drivers is 48, and about 25% of them will reach retirement age before 2030.<\/p>\n According to a National Skills Academy for Rail report, that could mean a shortfall of 2,500 drivers in four years\u2019 time.<\/p>\n While a number of train drivers continue to drive into their 70s, most retire well ahead of the state pension age as they become eligible for a railway pension at 62.<\/p>\n Almost two in five train drivers in Wales, which has the lowest life expectancy in Britain, are over 55.<\/p>\n The latest workforce survey, published in Department for Transport<\/a> assessments last month, showed that fewer than 3% of train drivers in Great Britain are under 30 years old.<\/p>\n The train drivers\u2019 union Aslef, which has long campaigned for the minimum age to be lowered, admits members up to the age of 35 in its youth wing. Aslef said bringing 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.<\/p>\n Rob Kitley, 31, the chair of Aslef\u2019s young members committee and a driver with GWR, said it was \u201cfantastic to see the legislation now being put in place\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cAs young train drivers we have been campaigning for this change for many years, in order to level the playing field and bring our industry into line with other parts of public transport, such as buses and the London Underground.<\/p>\n \u201cBy widening the goalposts to allow younger candidates to join the driving grade, we open the door to new talent which may otherwise have been lost.\u201d<\/p>\n