Government on track to lower minimum age for train drivers to 18 in Great Britain

Labour will introduce legislation to cut threshold from 20 in effort to head off looming shortages

Labour will introduce legislation to lower the minimum age for train drivers to 18 in the House of Commons this week, as figures show fewer than 3% of drivers on Great Britain's railways are under 30.

The government is pressing ahead with its proposals for teenage recruits, lowering the minimum age from 20, in a move that ministers hope will stave off a potential shortage of thousands of drivers.