The following is Ms Goward's very personal account of what happened aboard that train:

WHEN the 3:49pm City Rail service to Goulburn pulled out of Central on Friday the 13th, we all settled back to enjoy a slow, crowded but at least clean trip home in one of the newer carriages. It certainly makes a change from the graffiti-covered filthy rattlers we are used to, reminiscent of New York before Rudy Guiliani cleaned it up.

Campbelltown stopped all of that for the passengers in Carriage 2856. Three extremely drunk and dishevelled 30 somethings joined us. One fell in my lap and another abused me at length for objecting.

For the next hour my carriage sat in horror and fear, not sure what would happen next. The language was terrible, the noise level horrendous and everyone looked away, hoping not to be drawn into the circle. From time to time the woman, who seemed to be the most drunk, kicked the back of my seat or shook it. There were moments of relief, when they started to sing badly but loudly, but they were short-lived.

Those around me were obviously worried but nobody said a word, except for the woman in the row in front, a city worker, who said how much everyone wanted to believe that they deserved a fair go but this wasn't fair either. The young woman next to me said resignedly the Sydney bound service in the evening could get worse than this.

There was no attendant in sight for a four- carriage train on a two-hour journey to Goulburn.

I rang City Rail Security just before 5pm, asking for assistance. They said the police would meet the train at Bargo, took our carriage number and hung up.

No police at Bargo, which is part of the Camden Local Area Command. I rang again. Yes, they would get to Mittagong. No police there either, nor at Bowral, where a number of us furiously alighted just before 6pm. The Goulburn Command was attending to an armed robbery in Bowral and there were no spare officers.