Teenagers will be able to qualify to drive trains under Government plans to ease a staffing shortage. The Department for Transport (DfT) is proposing to reduce the minimum age for driving a train on Britain’s railways from 20 to 18 as early as this summer. It warned that the average age of a train driver is 48 and the workforce is “projected to shrink”, with many older employees expected to retire in the next five years Lowering the minimum age to 18 would “build resilience” and enable school leavers to take up apprenticeships and train to join the profession, the department added. Rail minister Huw Merriman said: “We want to open the door for young people considering transport as a career, and this proposal could give school leavers a clear path into the sector. “By boosting age diversity in the sector and attracting more drivers, we can help support reliable services while creating opportunities for more young people.” Train services have been repeatedly disrupted due to a near two-year dispute over pay involving drivers’ union Aslef and many train operators. Transport Secretary Mark Harper has repeatedly called for an end to operators relying on drivers volunteering to work overtime and...