Digitally controlled investment in urban rail transit projects: framework development and a case study in China

Purpose Urban rail transit projects in China are increasingly facing rising cost pressures and growing investment complexity, which underscores the need for integrating digital technologies to optimize investment control processes and enhance performance. However, despite the strong momentum of digital transformation, project owners often encounter practical challenges regarding “how” to leverage digital technology effectively. Existing research primarily emphasizes the “why” of digital adoption while offering fragmented technical solutions that fail to integrate technology with management practices. To bridge this gap, this study proposes a three-tier closed-loop framework to guide urban rail transit project owners in implementing effective digital investment control. Design/methodology/approach The proposed framework integrates the Model for Improvement with activity-based management (ABM), dynamically connected through key performance indicators (KPIs). Building on this framework, a digital investment control system was developed and validated through a case study of an urban rail transit project in China. Findings Applying the proposed framework reduced investment deviation from 10.8 to 5.0% within 1.5 mon. The results demonstrate that the framework enables project owners to promptly detect deviations, effectively identify root causes and make data-driven decisions, thereby strengthening the effectiveness of investment control. Originality/value Theoretically, this research contributes to bridging the gap between technology and management by embedding digital tools into investment control. Practically, it offers project owners a scalable roadmap for achieving investment control objectives through data-driven decision-making. The findings provide valuable insights for mega-projects worldwide that face similar digitalization challenges in investment management.