Train operators may turn to teenage drivers

The UK government may lower the minimum age for mainline train drivers from 20 to 18 in an effort to boost recruitment. The average age of drivers is currently 48 and numbers are dwindling as many retire. This is forcing train operators to rely on voluntary overtime – an overreliance laid bare by recent union-ordered overtime bans, which saw cancellations and severe overcrowding on affected lines. So why should young people look to the railway? Wages sit above the UK median, and are in some cases more than twice as high. Driver dissatisfaction – which has led to years of strikes – is often caused by poor work-life balance, coupled with the stress of being responsible for passengers’ lives. A bigger workforce would help with working conditions, although trains that drive themselves will have the same effect – for fewer staff. For now, drivers are present as cover.