The establishment of an integrated management system - a paradigm for railway engineering management

In today's public transport market where competition is keener than ever, railway operators are in desperate need of a customised total quality management approach to enhance performance and outcompete their counterparts. This paper outlines the work related to the establishment and implementation of such a total management approach, an integrated management system evolved from the ISO 9000-based quality management system, in the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR Corporation), Hong Kong, and how this system serves to enhance the corporation's competitiveness by successfully addressing its rapidly changing needs.