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 be left behind so he jumped onboard. We jumped on too. At this stage (after lost bag, found bag, missed flight, etc . . .) we were happy to be on a train which was at least pointing in the direction of home.
Unfortunately it turns out that we were issued a penalty fare and not a reservation. I have to be honest and say I’m a bit peeved with this. The penalty fare wasn’t too bad (€75 per person), but it’s a good bit higher than the reservation would have been. If the penalty had been something like €400 per person of course we would have stayed in Cannes, enjoyed what remained of the evening and got a train the next morning instead.
My query (to the community) is whether you have been able to buy a reservation *on the platform* before?
My query (to the company, not yet clarified) is whether asking the conductor for a reservation on the platform will *always* result in a penalty? If this is the case, what approach, if any, can be taken when the train is 40 or 50 minutes out, online reservations are unavailable and the station is unmanned?
