'Age is just a number for becoming a train driver'

Meet 27-year-old train driver, Liam Mackenzie.

He works at Southern Railway and has done so since he was 18. But he has not always been in his dream job.

That's because, until recently, drivers had to be 20 to begin training. Now that is changing, and the age is being lowered to 18.

"Since I was young I always wanted to do this. My dad worked on the railway, his dad worked on the railway, and my brother did for a small time too, so this has always been in the forefront of my mind," said Liam.

Liam started his railway career as a platform conductor and waited until he was old enough to start the intensive train driver training.

When the time came the process started with six months in a training school and tests every month.

This was followed by an assignment to a depot and 225 hours of train driving experience with a dedicated instructor - 40 of which had to be done at night.

The practical training was accompanied by an "intensive programme" of theoretical study, Liam said.

"You have to go and learn your routes - tunnel names, signalling areas - you name it, you have to know it," he added.

Liam said this process ended with the final test: "You get a week-long exam with a competency assessor who will eventually sign you off, if you're competent to drive alone.

"That's a really intense week - that's everything you know - you have to show them you know."

In of lowering the age for new drivers, Liam said: "I think it's a great thing.

"If you all the assessments you are showing you've got the mental strength and the concentration and all the traits you need to do it - so the age just becomes a number.

"In other industries you can start at 18 - like bus driving. You can drive a car at 18," he added.

The rail industry faces the problem of replacing a growing number of people retiring with new recruits, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.

It said the average age of a UK train driver is currently 48, with 30% set to reach retirement age by 2029, meaning more drivers are urgently needed.

Opening up the recruitment pool to 18 and 19 year olds "unlocks thousands of jobs," the government said.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers' union Aslef, said the industry had previously "missed out" on young people wanting to become train drivers "as they don't wait around until they turn 20 to find a career".

The Rail Safety and Standards Board said its research found "18 year olds are capable of safely becoming train drivers".

Liam reflects on his own journey to becoming a train driver.

"I would have loved to drive trains at 18 - I would have bitten the hand off someone to get the opportunity to do this at 18."

"For me, it's a great career, I don't mind the early wake ups, the late going to beds - it gives me a bit more control over my life. I absolutely love it."

Showing off the controls of a Southern Railway train, Liam says he gets a "real sense of pride of getting people where they need to be in a safe manner... preferably on time too!"

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