Lessons from the Delhi Metro

In India, where infrastructure projects are often plagued by delays and cost overruns, the success story of the Delhi Metro has been a remarkable exception. Last month, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was awarded the “Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award” by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, for its high-quality infrastructure development projects. Other recipients of this award include the Japanese Shinkansen (bullet train) operated by the national Japan Railways Group and the Singapore mass rapid transit (ranked among the world’s longest driverless MRT) operated by the Singapore Land Transport Authority. 

Infrastructure, specifically metro systems, is a procurement-intensive sector. In