 Physical construction work on the Delhi Metro started on 1 October 1998 . After the previous problems experienced by the Kolkata Metro , which was badly delayed and 12 times over budget due to " political meddling , technical problems and bureaucratic delays " , DMRC is a special purpose organisation vested with great autonomy and powers to execute this gigantic project involving many technical complexities , under a difficult urban environment and within a very limited time frame . DMRC was given full powers to hire people , decide on tenders and control funds . The DMRC then consulted the Hong Kong MTRC on rapid transit operation and construction techniques . As a result , construction proceeded smoothly , except for one major disagreement in 2000 , where the Ministry of Railways forced the system to use broad gauge despite the DMRC 's preference for standard gauge . 
