Quality Management Systems in Passenger Railway Transport: A Systematic Review of Sustainability and Tourism Integration

Railway transport is increasingly recognized as a key pillar of sustainable mobility, offering a low-carbon and energy-efficient alternative to road and air transport and playing a critical role in achieving climate objectives, regional connectivity, and sustainable tourism development. Despite extensive research on service quality, sustainability, and tourism, their interrelationship within the railway sector remains insufficiently explored. This study aims to systematically analyze the intersection of quality management systems (QMS), sustainability, and tourism in passenger railway transport and to identify structural gaps that hinder their integration. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA methodology, resulting in a final sample of 37 studies. The findings reveal a significant research gap, particularly the absence of integrated and empirically supported QMS frameworks linking passenger satisfaction with sustainability and tourism objectives. Quality-management-oriented constructs appear in 48.6% of the analyzed studies, sustainability in 32.4%, and tourism in 24.3%, while none demonstrate full integration of all three dimensions. The study contributes by providing a conceptual basis for future research on the integration of operational quality management, environmental performance, and passenger-oriented service quality in railway systems.