Advancing Sustainable Mobility in Thoothukudi From Data-Driven Insights to Climate Responsive Action
On 13 October 2026, a 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 was held in Thoothukudi, bringing together government representatives, project partners and key stakeholders to discuss pathways towards a more sustainable, accessible and climate-responsive urban transport system.
The roundtable featured 𝗧𝗺𝘁. 𝗦. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗮, 𝗜𝗔𝗦, 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿, 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗸𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗧𝗖𝗠𝗖), who highlighted the importance of aligning urban transport planning with climate objectives, financing opportunities and interdepartmental collaboration. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘂 𝗣. 𝗝𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻, 𝗛𝗼𝗻’𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗸𝘂𝗱𝗶, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to advancing sustainable mobility and integrating climate considerations into urban development planning.
One of the key highlight was the 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗜𝗻𝗧, 𝗜𝗜𝗧 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗧𝗗𝗣 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮, which presented data-driven insights into Thoothukudi’s public transport network and identified opportunities to improve urban mobility.
The presentation examined bus stop accessibility, route performance, passenger travel patterns, overcrowding and transport-related emissions. Key findings highlighted the need to bridge public transport accessibility gaps, improve connectivity between peripheral areas, align bus services with passenger demand and accelerate the transition towards cleaner bus fleets.
The discussions underscored several priorities for Thoothukudi’s mobility transition:
🔹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Addressing gaps in bus stop coverage.
🔹 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: Enhancing service frequency, introducing appropriate feeder and express services.
🔹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Prioritising cleaner bus technologies.
🔹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Addressing freight-related congestion and improving coordination.
🔹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Leveraging evidence-based assessments and DT-based planning.
The roundtable also featured a 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗜, focusing on financing and implementation pathways for climate-responsive mobility.
The roundtable was organised under the leadership of TCMC in collaboration with TERI – The Energy and Resources Institute, with consortium partners Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, ITDP – India and Cenex, under the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions)-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗧-𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶-𝗣𝗨𝗟𝗦𝗘 project.