IT IS the bane of a commuter's life: you settle down for your train journey home and someone sits beside you, pulls out a mobile phone and has a conversation. A very loud conversation.

And if it isn't a mobile phone user breaking the peace, it's likely to be a teenager with an iPod. But there may soon be hope for frazzled CityRail commuters. NSW will consider following the lead of Queensland Rail in introducing quiet carriages to give passengers a break from those less considerate.

Illustration: Cathy Wilcox

Queensland was the first state in Australia to trial the carriages, which are self-policed with signage asking commuters to ''refrain from having loud conversations, talking on their mobile phone or listening to loud musical devices''.

The NSW Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, has confirmed she will ''definitely consider'' introducing quiet carriages to the CityRail fleet, although she added that her focus was on ''restoring services and improving reliability''.