Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the number of train driver training places.

It is the responsibility of operators to determine their own workforce requirements, including the number of train drivers they need to recruit and train.  However, we recognise that the rail industry faces an acute shortage of train drivers and that a system-wide approach is needed to address this.  We therefore look to the Department for Transport Operator (DfTO) and, ultimately, Great British Railways, to provide industry leadership and coordination in this area.

In the interim, the Department has asked train operators to develop comprehensive plans to address train driver availability and resilience in the short and medium term.  The Department is also taking legislative steps to make it easier to recruit and train drivers, including reducing the legal minimum age to become a train driver from 20 to 18, which is scheduled to come into force on 30 June 2026, subject to Parliamentary approval.