Rail unions and the state opposition have reacted with anger after it emerged the state government was cancelling guardian trains, dedicated late-night services with extra security.

The government was last month removing all references to the guardian services from train timetables, with police saying they would fill the gap by a smarter use of resources.

End of service: late-night guardian trains are being cancelled. Credit:Kate Geraghty

The guardian services were introduced in 2010 and were marked on timetables as special security-strong services running late on Fridays and Saturdays.

A passenger could be sure that there was security on board, and that they were being monitored on CCTV cameras.