Northern conductor sharing railway passion with thousands of TikTok followers

Demario Green, 22, has gained around 8,000 TikTok followers by presenting videos about different types of trains, tickets, stations and railway history.

“We want to bring different people in and get them to take an interest – younger people and people from different backgrounds and cultures,” he said.

“I used to think I wouldn’t fit in on the railway, but now I feel at home here.

“We’re trying to show people who we are and what we do to keep the trains running, but I also want to show them there are so many different opportunities here if they want to join.”

Demario joined Northern as an apprentice, shortly before his 18^th birthday, and gained experience working in station ticket offices and as a dispatcher, before a colleague convinced him to apply for a conductor role in 2024.

“Since joining the railway, I’ve never looked back,” he said. “It feels like I’m part of a family here.

“As a conductor, you have to be disciplined and take responsibility.

“There’s a sense of pride knowing that you’re being trusted to look after all of the passengers on board your train, but you have to stay focused and work hard so you can keep earning that trust.

“I do enjoy being out there with passengers, getting to know them and having a laugh. There are different personalities on different routes.

“I would love to drive trains one day, that’s definitely my goal. But right now, I’m enjoying my role.”

Growing up in Manchester, Demario took a keen interest in the buses he travelled around on with his parents.

“I was always mesmerised by them; by how everything worked and the sounds they made. I used to dream about running my own bus company,” he said.

“Over the time that developed into an interest with trains. I would always love travelling by train to go and see family in Bristol.”

As a teenager, he started making YouTube videos for his little brother, who is autistic and didn’t like travelling on public transport.

“I wanted to show him the sights and sounds, so he could get a feel for it and become more comfortable. He really liked them and gave me a push to do more,” said Demario.

“I started speaking on camera, making vlogs and then when I moved onto TikTok I started doing reviews of trains and buses.

“I soon realised there was something in this, as a lot of people are starting to notice these videos and enjoy them.”

He creates videos for a TikTok account (@transportwithdee) with his friends Leon Green and Jacob Dube, who both work on the railway, and they have launched a podcast called Transport With Us Podcast.

“It’s all help us gain confidence, but it also gives us the chance to speak to loads of different people who work on the railway and learn about what they do,” said Demario.

“We also want to show people that we’re here to do a job but we’re not just a uniform.”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.