Planning and capacity building for high-speed rail development in India: five key lessons

This policy brief proposes five concrete lessons from global experiences of implementing HSR for India’s policy makers to plan and build capacity for implementing HSR with its maximum potential. The first of the three lessons on planning the HSR network highlight the importance of inclusive infrastructure development, emphasizing the need to connect HSR with the existing air, rail and road transport network while keeping in mind the extension of HSR in the future. The second and third lessons focus on the financial aspects of HSR development. Sustainable financing can be achieved through public-private partnerships and non-fare models. As for capacity building of HSR development, the two lessons ponder the nuances of technology transfer in megaprojects scenarios, such as HSR development, emphasizing the importance of research and development innovation and indigenization of technology by the adopting country. Further, concentrated efforts must be put to maximizing the efficiency of HSR in the long run.