And he did not disappoint.

The 760-km project was unique in many ways with 93 tunnels along a length of 82 km and over 150 bridges. Under Sreedharan's leadership, the public sector project was executed in seven years without significant cost and time overruns.

On Nov 5, 1997, he was made the managing director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and by mid-2005 completed all the scheduled sections within their respective deadlines and budget and earned the sobriquet of 'Metro man'.

Delhi Metro uses some of the most advanced technology in the field of civil, electrical, signalling and telecommunication engineering worldwide.

Delhi Metro started its services in 2002 and runs 70 trains on different routes daily. According to a DMRC spokesperson, over 800,000 people commute by the metro every day as it has offered a convenient and time-saving option to office-goers and others.

Again, scheduled to retire in 2005, his tenure was extended by three years to oversee the completion of the second phase of Delhi Metro.

Such have been his credentials that he was called to Pakistan for the development of the Lahore Metro.

He has been conferred several honours, including the country's fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri in 2001. The Time newsmagazine named him an Asian Hero in 2003.