Starting from the age of 20, 18-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains to address driver shortages.

The government says the UK rail service is often disrupted due to the lack of drivers and the problem will be worse as companies work to replace more recruits retired.

Transport Minister Heidi Alexander announced the change as "a bold move to improve train services and unlock thousands of jobs".

Union Aslef said it would open opportunities for those who left school or university, while the Railway Safety and Standards Commission said its research found that "the 18-year-old child has the ability to become a train driver safely."

In the UK, several train companies rely on "off day jobs" - when drivers volunteer to perform additional shifts to run schedule services.

However, if there are not enough volunteers or driver sick people get sick, it can lead to passenger travel.

According to the Department of Transportation (DFT), about 87% of the cancellations were made due to driver shortages.

It said the average age of train drivers in the UK is 48 years old and will reach 30% retirement age by 2029.

Less than 9% of train drivers are women, while less than 12% of minorities are from ethnic minorities.

DFT said the then-Conservative government's consultation on lowering the minimum age of drivers last year received "overwhelming support from the industry as a whole."

Training to become a mainline train drive usually takes one to two years. DFT believes that new jobs and apprenticeships for 18-year-olds can be offered as early as December.

Alexander said the Labor government was “committed to bringing the economy to the development of the economy, a large part of which was to attract young people to the workforce, putting them on track in a skilled and fulfilling career that would boost growth across the country”.

Mick Whelan, secretary general of Aslef, said the industry is currently missing out on young people who want to become train drivers because they no longer wait until they are 20 to find a career”.

He added that the new policy would “increase driver diversity” and encourage more young people to take on the role.

The government says

London-based transport companies opened train driver apprentices to 18-year-olds in 2007.