Northern Employee Uses Social Media to Inspire a New Generation of Railway Enthusiasts

A young Northern conductor is helping to showcase life on the railway to a growing online audience, using social media to share his enthusiasm for trains, transport history and careers in the industry.

Demario Green, 22, has built a following of around 8,000 people on TikTok through videos exploring railway operations, rolling stock, stations, ticketing and transport heritage. Through his content, he hopes to encourage a wider and more diverse audience to engage with the rail sector and consider careers within it.

Demario's journey into the industry began shortly before his 18th birthday when he joined Northern as an apprentice. Since then, he has worked across several operational roles, including station ticket offices and platform dispatch, before moving into a conductor position in 2024.

Looking back on his career so far, he says the railway has provided both professional opportunities and a strong sense of belonging.

Having initially questioned whether he would fit into the industry, Demario now describes the railway as a place where he feels at home. He believes greater visibility of the people working behind the scenes can help challenge perceptions and encourage more young people from different backgrounds to consider a future in transport.

As a conductor, he enjoys the responsibility that comes with looking after passengers and ensuring services operate safely, while also valuing the opportunity to interact with people from across the network every day.

His passion for transport began long before his railway career. Growing up in Manchester, he developed a fascination with buses and public transport systems, often spending time learning how vehicles operated and imagining a future running his own transport company.

That interest gradually expanded to rail travel, particularly during journeys to visit family in Bristol.

Demario's social media journey started as a way of helping his younger brother, who is autistic, become more familiar with public transport. By creating videos that captured the sights and sounds of journeys, he hoped to make travelling feel less daunting.

The positive response encouraged him to create more content, eventually leading him to YouTube and later TikTok, where his transport reviews and railway-focused videos began attracting a wider audience.

Today, he co-runs the TikTok account @transportwithdee alongside fellow railway employees Leon Green and Jacob Dube. Together, they have also launched the Transport With Us Podcast, where they interview people from across the transport industry and explore different careers and experiences within the sector.

Demario says the platform not only helps build confidence but also provides an opportunity to highlight the people behind the railway.

By sharing real stories from those who keep services running, he hopes to show that railway staff are more than uniforms and job titles, while inspiring future generations to see transport as an exciting and rewarding career path.