Business reporter, BBC News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Eighteen-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains after the minimum age was lowered from 20 in a bid to tackle driver shortages.<\/p>\n UK rail services are frequently disrupted due to a lack of drivers being available, and the problem is set to get worse with companies struggling to replace a growing number of people retiring with new recruits, the government said.<\/p>\n Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced the change as “bold action to improve train services and unlock thousands of jobs”.<\/p>\n Union\u00a0Aslef said it would open up opportunities for school or college leavers, while the Rail\u00a0Safety\u00a0and\u00a0Standards\u00a0Board\u00a0said\u00a0its\u00a0research\u00a0found “18-year-olds\u00a0are\u00a0capable\u00a0of\u00a0safely\u00a0becoming\u00a0train\u00a0drivers”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the UK several train companies rely on “rest day working” – when drivers voluntarily work extra shifts to run timetabled services.<\/p>\n But disruption can be caused to passenger journeys when there are not enough volunteers or drivers are off sick.<\/p>\n Some 87% of cancellations made the night before a service is scheduled to run are due to driver shortages, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).<\/p>\n The average age of a UK train driver is 48, with 30% set to reach retirement age by 2029, it said.<\/p>\n Fewer than 9% of train drivers are female, while under 12% are from an ethnic minority.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Train driver strikes over pay and working conditions caused widespread rail disruption from July 2022 until September 2024 when a pay deal with union members was agreed.<\/p>\n The government and Aslef refused to confirm what the average salary of a train driver would rise to following the pay rises. In 2023, the average wage was \u00a360,055 per year, according to the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies.<\/p>\n Based on the pay increases announced, the BBC has calculated an average salary is estimated to be about \u00a369,000 in 2024\/25.<\/p>\n The DfT told the BBC on Wednesday wages differ by train companies, but on average, train drivers can expect to start on \u00a330,000 per year when fully qualified, with a gradual progression as they build more experience.<\/p>\n Training to become a driver of mainline trains generally takes between one and two years. The DfT believes new job and apprenticeships for 18-year-olds could become available as early as December.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/06b2\/live\/0d669170-2b27-11f0-a926-032a6ac0e498.jpg.webp\")
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nHow much do train drivers earn?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n