Eighteen-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains from June 30 amid concerns about the number of drivers approaching retirement.
Legislation to reduce the minimum age limit from 20 to 18 will be brought before Parliament on Tuesday.
The move follows concerns about an aging workforce, as the Department for Transport said a quarter of train drivers are expected to reach retirement age by 2030.
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Lord Hendy, rail minister, said: “Lowering the minimum age for train drivers is a significant step forward for young people across Britain.
“This change will open doors for those wanting to move straight into the workplace, giving a younger generation the chance to build rewarding careers in the railway, whether that’s in freight or passenger services.
“It’s a move that will help secure the future of Great British Railways and the wider rail industry, and ensure the workforce reflects the energy, talent and ambition of the next generation.”
The DfT said the change will bring Britain into line with other countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Australia.
It will also “level the playing field across the transport sector”, where 18-year-olds can already drive a Tube train or tram on the Transport for London network, or become a pilot.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “With almost a million young people not in education, employment or training, we need to open up new routes into skilled, well-paid careers.
“Lowering the minimum age for train drivers puts young people at the controls – of a train today, and of their own futures tomorrow.”
Dave Calfe, general secretary of train drivers’ union, Aslef, said the decision will “increase diversity in the driver’s cab by encouraging more young people from all communities to drive trains”.
He added: “At the moment, many young people make their career choice at 18 and the industry misses out as the current minimum age is 20.
“This change will widen the opportunity for the rail industry to recruit the large numbers of train drivers required over the next five years.”
Fewer than one in 25 train drivers are under 30, and only one in nine are women.
The proportion that have an ethnic minority background is below 13%.
