Buying a reservation "on the platform"
Recently we ended up (lost bag, found bag, missed flight, long story) getting an SNCF Intercites du Nuit sleeper at short notice.Because our plans only came together 40 or 50 minutes before the train was due we were unable to buy the reservation online. Because there were no staffed ticket desks we were unable to buy the reservation in person. There were SNCF staff in the station halls, but none with the ability to sell a reservation. This was Cannes on a busy Sunday evening and not some tiny station with 1 train an hour.We were advised to wait until the train arrived and buy a reservation from the conductor. Obviously this would only work if there was space available. If there wasn’t any space we were happy enough to stay in Cannes overnight. So, we waited.The train arrived and we approached the conductor to establish if there was space. He confirmed there was and we asked to buy the reservation. He began issuing the ticket.Or so we thought.The whistle blew and he was about to
