^^
Technically speaking, metro game is a funding game.
Metro rolling equipment suppliers -OEM's in shop talk are rich, OECD countries who will give you as much funding money as possible to keep their Union shop boys and their rail factory jobs secure. Not so with bus manufacturers.
Politicians love to bring in metro because it's foreign funded and all the sub-contracts are very-very basic and local re: sand, stone, labour and steel and cement. Imagine the patronage and commissions. Japanese are the best, they don't even bring in terri labour, nor sub-sub contractors. Don't even show up for ribbon cutting, the local politicos hog all the limelight. Same thing with Germans.
Notice however, how all the hoopla flying in the initial Metro's was an all out 'gora' photo op!
A rail carriage is loaded into an Antonov 124 cargo aircraft in Parchim, February 25, 2009.
(c) REUTERS/TOBIAS SCHWARZ/FILES
Re: India, this stuff metro is fantastic for commuters but it's also substantially about 'project mgmt.', 'financial engg.' and PESTLE analysis application then just simple public service exclusively. Massive pent-up demand makes up for project success, the poor man's metro, the BRT systems came later and are neither well funded nor present the much juicier patronage-commision opportunities that the well oiled (greased) metro funding game presents. Thus metro!
A synchronised Metro-BRT-Auto is the ideal Long haul-Regional -Last Mile intra city solution for India. A double redundant role can be played by sparse local buses, mini-buses, and even pedal rickshaws. Taxis of course, and bicycles are tertiary connectors. Pedestrian walk is actually a very real last mile alternative in India if done right like in Singapore, given the weather.