Consultation outcome

Lowering the minimum age requirement for train drivers – letter to the rail sector from Lord Hendy

Updated 7 May 2025

Sender

Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Minister of State for Rail

Letter from Lord Hendy to the rail sector

7 May 2025

Subject: Government response to the consultation on lowering the minimum age requirement to be a train driver in Great Britain from 20 to 18.

To the rail sector,

The sector will recall that the previous government consulted on lowering the minimum age requirement to be a train driver in Great Britain from 16 May to 13 June 2024.

The decision to consult on this proposal followed the recommendations of the second post-implementation review (PIR) of the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010 (TDLCR) (S.I. 2010/724), which establishes the requirements for the licensing and certification of train drivers on the mainline railway in Great Britain. The PIR, led by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), assessed the effectiveness of TDLCR with a view to identifying opportunities for reform.

Many in the sector strongly advocated for a review of the minimum entry age to be a train driver. Several other countries have successfully and safely adopted a lower age limit, including the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland, or are considering a change in law, such as Japan.

For this reason, the previous government initiated a consultation to gather evidence and consider the views of the rail sector and the wider public to assess the case for change.

I am pleased to announce that DfT has now completed its analysis of the consultation’s findings, which have now been published on GOV.UK. We received a significant number of responses from across the industry and the wider public, including existing train drivers, train driver managers, signallers, rail operators, trade unions, other professionals, industry bodies and trade associations, among others.

Having reviewed the consultation responses and the case for change, DfT has decided to progress with changing the law to lower the minimum age requirement to be a licensed train driver in Great Britain from 20 to 18. Building on the feedback from the sector and the wider public, we will now work with the sector on preparations to set a timetable for changing the law.

I would like to express my thanks to the sector for their constructive engagement and interest in this area of work to date, which has been invaluable in informing our approach to reform.

We believe this change can deliver numerous benefits to the rail sector and for young people. This includes:

• enabling the rail industry to continue to support economic growth by creating a sustainable pipeline of future train drivers
• empowering young people by creating new career pathways, jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers with a clear pathway to full time employment
• improving the industry’s capabilities to recruit young people and capacity to select from a wider pool of applicants
• bringing new talent, skills and fresh perspectives into the sector
• contributing to a more diverse, representative and inclusive workforce
• tackling the ageing profile of train drivers

Train driving is also, of course, a demanding role that carries significant responsibilities and a duty of care to the public. For these reasons, the industry rightly sets a high standard for train driver conduct and performance. This is reflected in the rigorous requirements for recruitment, selection and monitoring that underpin the train driving licence regime.

As we make clear our response to the consultation, we agree that these requirements should remain in place and should apply to all prospective train drivers, regardless of age. This is the best way of ensuring that train drivers who serve on our network are competent, qualified and fit to do so.

We also recognise that the sector should have adequate time to prepare before the law is changed. We are now asking the sector to work together to prepare an industry-wide plan for integrating prospective younger applicants into the train driving profession, to ensure that this is done effectively and consistently. The plan should ensure that the procedures, guidance and standards used for training, assessing, managing, supervising and onboarding younger applicants are effective and appropriate.

Accordingly, the sector will need to invest in expanding existing training and assessment capacity to manage an increased intake of younger drivers, so that trainees can be progressed as quickly as practicable. It should also ensure that appropriate administrative and human resources infrastructure is in place, including for the provision of welfare and oversight, to support younger train drivers.

The sector will also need to demonstrate how it intends to use this change of law to support a coherent workforce strategy, including through effective outreach to schools and colleges and through clear pathways for progression.

Finally, the sector will need to consolidate and disseminate best practice for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

Future areas for reform

The sector will recognise that the second PIR identified several other areas of TDLCR that could be reformed to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and value of the regime in general, and this remains high on the agenda for DfT.

My officials will soon approach the rail sector to speak about these issues and develop proposals for wider reform.

Next steps

Further to the government’s decision to progress with lowering the minimum age requirement to be a train driver, we are now asking the rail sector to prepare a single cross-industry plan that addresses the following questions.

We will look to industry to collaborate in developing actions in response to these questions and to report back to DfT by 7 August 2025. DfT and ORR will consider this plan in deciding the timetable for changing the law.

The questions we are asking the sector to directly address are as follows:

1. How will the sector ensure that the processes for recruiting, assessing, training, supervising, and monitoring train drivers are appropriate to support younger train drivers?

2. How will the existing processes, standards and rail industry guidance be reviewed and updated or adapted where required to support prospective younger train drivers to enter the profession?

3. How will any change to the minimum age of train drivers, and any changes identified to the processes, standards and rail industry guidance, be communicated to interested parties involved in train driver recruitment, training, examination, and employment? You will want to acknowledge the different communication needs of senior leaders, operational managers, driver trainers/examiners, human resource teams and external suppliers, for example.

4. How will the sector communicate the change of policy externally to the wider public to improve awareness and interest in the profession?

5. How will the sector promote the Train Driving Level 3 apprenticeship scheme to school leavers and strengthen the pathway between school leaving age and a career in train driving?

6. How will learning and expertise obtained by operators from recruiting, assessment, supervision and monitoring of younger drivers be captured, disseminated and applied by the sector?

7. What costs and savings does the sector envisage from a change to the minimum age requirement to be a train driver? In particular:

• changes to competence management processes and training for staff
• the number of hours required per staff member to familiarise themselves with updated plans and documents
• an increase in insurance costs for operators
• updating IT systems
• Increased costs in training (for example, increased number of tests, enhanced supervision)

To support progress on this policy change, I am asking for the sector to prepare and submit a single cross-industry plan to DfT. This should be sent via email to rail.safety@dft.gov.uk by 7 August 2025.

This will then be reviewed by DfT officials and the ORR to determine the state of readiness of the industry. Subject to reviewing these plans, DfT will issue a statement outlining a timetable for changing the law and any further action that should be taken by the industry to support this.

I would like to thank you once again for your engagement on this proposal to date and for your ongoing contributions to shape train driving reform.

Yours sincerely,

Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Minister of State for Rail