Ella Johannessen was discussing how "stressed and upset" she was about her finances during a phone call to her mother while travelling on Saturday.
After waking up from a nap she found the gift, which she says will stop her from going over her overdraft limit.
A Facebook post she wrote hoping to find the person who left the money has been shared more than 2,800 times.
More on this story and others in West Yorkshire
The 23-year-old Leeds Beckett University graduate told the BBC she got into debt during her final year of study after giving up her part-time job to concentrate on her course.
She boarded a Virgin Trains East Coast service to Leeds at Peterborough station on Saturday afternoon and proceeded to call her mother.
'Fantastic human being'
"I spoke to her about how little money I had, how worried I was about my finances and I got upset," she wrote.
After waking up, she found the money and started to cry as she was "incredibly thankful" for the kind stranger's help.
She said: "After a terrible 18 months where I lost my father and both of his parents it showed me that there is kindness and good people in the world.
"I would like to tell the person that they are a fantastic human being and it has really lifted my spirits and massively helped me out."
Ms Johannessen, who lives in Leeds, said she would be "passing the kindness on" by volunteering for a charity.
Source.bbc
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