Parliament eases requirements for engine drivers due to shortage

On Tuesday, Parliament passed an amendment to the Railways Act that is meant to address the acute shortage of engine drivers in Slovakia. According to the amendment, train drivers will no longer have to be graduates of electrical engineering, transport, technical, or engineering-focused fields. A general secondary school education will be enough, and applicants will undergo a more extensive professional training. The Transport ministry expects this move to increase the number of people who will be able to apply for an engine-driver's licence. The amendment also introduces a registry of engine-driver's licence holders to be maintained by the Transport Office, as well as measures providing for the display of railway timetables in the languages of national minorities.