Peak hour commuters put up with overcrowding, lack of air-conditioning and all manner of odd behaviour from their fellow passengers.
But a survey of passengers travelling on intercity services this morning showed there is one gripe that trumps them all: conversations that are loud and personal.
The state government announced today that it would trial quiet carriages on the Sydney to Newcastle line from Monday.
Transport minister Gladys Berejiklian told the Sydney Morning Herald that the carriages would be self-policed, and signs and announcements would make it clear which carriages were quiet zones.
Annette Bray, Dorothy Pizey and Rhoda Sexton said the quiet carriages were an "excellent idea".
"There is nothing worse than hearing about someone's private life on the train - it is just embarrassing," Ms Bray said.
"People like to sleep sometimes when they are on the train, if there is a sign saying it is a quiet carriage then you feel like you could say: 'can you turn off your phone'," Ms Pizey said.
Roger and Jean Morrow were travelling to Newcastle today and said they supported the trial, but said it would do little to curb other forms of anti-social behaviour.
"It is a good idea, if you are able to police it. Just making a statement will not really do the trick," Mrs Morrow said.
"Everyone has the right to have quiet enjoyment, so long as it is fair and reasonable. I think it should be trialled, and if it proves successful then it could be expanded. The real test is what happens," Mr Morrow said.
The Morrows said the worst example of bad behaviour on a train was a fight between young children.
"But this is not solved by having a quiet carriage," Mr Morrow said.
Ross and Wendy Talbot were also on their way to Newcastle and said quiet carriages could inspire better commuter behaviour.
"I was on the train once and there were all sorts of yobbos on the train, either drunk or under the influence, and the police got them off at Dapto. You see intimidating people getting on the train and it can get nasty, if you had these quiet carriages this might happen less," Mr Talbot said.
Toby Gee regularly catches early morning trains from Newcastle to Sydney, he said quiet carriages would encourage better behaviour, but only if it was policed by security or station staff.
"You sometimes get people coming back from nightclubs drunk, you've got to be careful - I've seen a few fights. If the quiet carriages are policed then it could stop this sort of thing too," Mr Gee said.
Julie Cox said she and her friends often make a lot of noise on trains, and quiet carriages would keep her happy as well as her fellow commuters.
"I belong to a bushwalkers group and we often hop on the train in a large group. We make so much noise because we are so excited to be going out for the day - I do feel sorry for the other commuters who might be trying to get a bit of sleep," Ms Cox said.
"I don't mind noise on train, people have got a right to be happy, but commuters also have a right to peace and quiet - so its a good thing to give both that option."
What kind of animals eat on the train?
These words were uttered by a New York subway rider, in a video that has ignited debate on acceptable public transport behaviour.
In the video, a woman sees a another woman eating spaghetti on the train and says: "What kind of animals eat on the train like that?"
The woman eating the spaghetti snapped back, a fist fight broke out and commuters had to pull the pair apart.
"Oh wow, this is crazy. Crazy," said the man filming the incident.
"People have forgotten about sharing the environment and what that means, said Alex Travers, an etiquette expert at social coaching company A Matter of Style.
"We are becoming such a nanny state - we have 55 different messages looking at us because people have become so selfish I think," she said about the "do not drink" or "do not eat" messages on some modes of public transport in Sydney.
A State Transit spokesman said common complaints they've received from commuters on buses include passengers not moving to the back of the bus to allow others to board, queue jumping at bus stops and others eating or drinking on buses and leaving their rubbish behind.
For Sydney Ferries, common complaints revolve around sandy swimming costumes, feet on seats and the universal gripe about people speaking loudly on mobile phones.
Ms Travers said part of the problem was commuters' lack of respect for the public transport they travel on.
"I'm afraid we are all in a very bad place as far as we feel about our public transport. People think poorly of it, so therefore they are getting on it with a poor attitude.
"I've just been to Singapore for instance, and I know in Hong Kong when I go there, it is a beautiful thing to ride, everyone is polite. The ticketing is good. You arrive at the time you are supposed to get there. The train comes every three or four minutes. So you get on with a positive attitude. The place is spotless.
"Whereas you get on our transport - you are lucky if it turns up, half the time it is filthy, the stations are dirty and nobody's helpful."
A second reason was the "me-oriented" attitude of younger generations, who "do what they want to do" without thinking about the next person sitting or standing beside them, she said.
"You find people getting on planes now with their singlet tops and their hairy underarms and their thongs and they smell. What are they thinking?" Ms Travers asked.
"Have a little think and put a shirt on and deodorant, because it is so discourteous and uncaring about anybody else."
Like CityRail, Sydney Ferries runs etiquette campaigns, which it credits for the less than 10 written passenger complaints it has received since January 2010.
A spokeswoman said two campaigns - "Affected by bad behaviour on board" and "Keep em safe, keep em close" - have helped to remind commuters about drunken behaviour while advising parents to look after their children when they are on ferries.
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