A
railway
safety


body
has
issued
a
reassurance
about
plans
to
cut
the
minimum
age
of
train
drivers
from
21
to
18,
in
a
bid
to
boost
their
numbers.

Almost
a
third
of
the
present
workforce
are
due
to
retire
in
the
next
five
years,
and
cancellations
have
been
caused
by
a
lack
of
staff.

The
Department
for
Transport
says
younger
drivers
could
be
joining
the
industry
by
the
end
of
this
year.

Transport
secretary
Heidi
Alexander
said:
‘We’re
taking
bold
action
to
improve
train
services
and
unlock
thousands
of
jobs.

‘We’re
committed
to
getting
the
economy
moving
and
a
big
part
of
that
is
getting
young
people
into
the
workforce,
putting
them
on
track
for
a
skilled
and
fulfilling
career,
which
will
boost
growth
across
the
country
and
help
deliver
our
Plan
for
Change.

‘We’re
future-proofing
our
railways
against
delays
and
cancellations
caused
by
a
shortage
of
drivers,
ensuring
that
we
can
provide
reliable,
passenger
focused
train
journeys
under
Great
British
Railways
for
decades
to
come.’

Mark
Phillips
is
CEO
of
the
Rail
Safety
and
Standards
Board,
and
he
says
its
research
shows
that
train
drivers
aged
between
18
and
21
are
not
too
young
to
do
the
job
safely:
‘To
boost
economic
growth
by
running
more
frequent
rail
services,
the
industry
needs
to
invest
in
enabling
more
young
people
to
start
train
driver
apprenticeships.
Our
research
determined
that
18-year
olds
are
capable
of
safely
becoming
train
drivers
and
identified
opportunities
to
improve
how
the
rail
industry
manages
competence
for
all
drivers.

‘Starting
a
train
driving
career
could
be
more
appealing
at
18
than
at
20,
as
young
people
can
choose
it
over
pursuing
a
degree
or
an
office
job.
It
is
an
excellent
career
choice,
offering
the
opportunity
to
work
independently
in
a
role
that
carries
huge
responsibility.’

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