Tourist Quota and late booking

[srij]

Firstly, hello all.

Secondly, apologies if this has been covered previously, so much in fact that it makes you want to bite down hard on your teeth and wish me further. Rest assured I mean not to upset or annoy...

Anyways, looking for some advice please on whether it's possible to book Tourist Quota seats from the UK and any valuable info on the TQ process as a whole? If they can only be booked in India, I must admit to getting slight palpitations when thinking of the odds in actually obtaining 2 tickets.

I've searched here (great site) and other various resources including seat61 (another great site) but haven't been able to find a definitive answer. I appreciate it's not possible to purchase this type of ticket online but after checking the national Indian rail site, I see there is no ordinary availability and only limited availability on certain trains doing our preferred route (Mumbai to Cochin). This similar for the return journey.

I've e-mailed the IRCTC but haven't yet had a response and not holding my breath on that one. Time is of the essence though as we're flying out on 20.10.08 and hope to travel the coastal route to Cochin early next week. I know I've left it late but booked last minute.

If all else fails, has anyone any other suggested scenic routes down to Cochin? Please don't suggest donkey..we've only 2 weeks away :D

Thank-you x


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