Let me save you a click:
They’re proposing reducing the age to qualify for train driver training from 20 to 18.
Both the rail companies and the rail unions support this as it means the large number drivers who are expecting to retire soon can be replaced and it gives those who leave education at 18 a career path.
quite a clickbaity title. While 18 year olds are technically teenagers, the headline implies something like 14 year olds
My grandpa actually used to drive a school bus in the 50’s as a teenager. Any high school student with a valid liscence could work as a driver. He’d take it home, park it In the yard, and go pick everyone up in the morning, on his way.
I see no reason not to let an 18yo or ever 16 drive a train, with basically no obstacles on a fixed track.
That sounds very reasonable. Why shouldn’t you be able to start training at 18?
I don’t see an issue seems to be a lot of gatekeeping on age where there didn’t used to be.
We allow it for everything else like buses HGV’s here’s the steps to get into a tank.
"Training for the role
Step1 Your initial military training teaches you how to be a soldier, covering everything from fieldcraft to how to handle a rifle.
If you join as a Junior Soldier (under 17 years and 6 months), you’ll do a 40-week basic military training (long) course at Harrogate. If you join as a Regular Soldier (over 17 years and 6 months), you’ll do the regular 14-week adult basic training.Step 2 You head to Bovington, Dorset, for 20 weeks of specialist training to develop your technical skills. You will complete your driving licence (if you don’t already have it) and then move on to your tracked vehicle licence (the H licence) before getting to grips with driving the 62-tonne Challenger 2. You will also learn how to maintain and fix the Challenger 2 as well as use the radios."
If 18 year olds can vote, drive a lorry, a bus and other jobs like that, they shouldn’t need to disqualify people at that age to drive trains.
THE CHILDREN YEARN FOR THE
MINESTRAINSFor anyone who has knowledge of that stuff, what kind of training is required for driving a train? Like what’s involved with handling a giant machine on rails? I assume there’s more to it than the public sees at first glance.
Anecdotal at best, but the two people I know who drive trains both have engineering degrees.
I’m no expert but as far as I’ve understood it you need to generally have a very good understanding of the train you’re driving, equivalent to an actual engineering degree, because you’re the person who has to call central and tell them what’s wrong with your train when something happens and “It doesn’t go forward” isn’t useful.
In the event of a failure the train driver does some troubleshooting steps (like rebooting the control system or manual overrides) and informs the central of the issue. The most common issue on train service are door malfunctions, which can be solved by locking the door and putting a sticker on it.
The difficult part is recognising the problem correctly, which probably requires some critical thinking skills. But the control systems are getting better at helping the driver and giving information on the issue.
I imagine it’s learning the signalling and safety systems, the driving dynamics of trains, getting to know the lines and schedules and the corresponding train models. And then learning and practicing driving with a trainer. Also basic troubleshooting for technical problems.
why is there a shortage. where im at in the US driving a train pays well enough to attack people. usually any shortage are due to training time.
I say let the children drive the trains. The younger ones seem very interested in trains.
I suspect there should be a /s on the end there.
Fuck that. 2 year olds love trains. I’ve seen then drive them into mansions, dream houses, cereal boxes. This would be no problem
Yeah. If anyone I thought I was serious, they’re crazy.
