Delays, Disruption and Discontent: How ISO 9001 Can Put Quality Back on Track

In June 2025, Great Western Railway (GWR) experienced a major service disruption that left thousands of passengers stranded, frustrated, and demanding answers. What was meant to be a busy but manageable summer weekend turned into a public transport fiasco. On Saturday 21st June, extensive signalling issues near Didcot Parkway - combined with a shortage of available trains and poorly coordinated engineering works - led to the cancellation or delay of over 230 trains across the GWR network.

Passengers travelling to high-profile events such as Glastonbury Festival, Royal Ascot, and major football fixtures were hit hardest. Platform overcrowding, poor communication, and inconsistent updates on travel apps sparked national media coverage and public anger. But while GWR apologised and blamed unforeseen technical failures, the scale and severity of the disruption exposed deeper operational weaknesses that could have been mitigated through a structured quality management approach.

This is where ISO 9001:2015 comes in.

ISO 9001: The Missing Framework

ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised standard for quality management systems (QMS). It’s designed to help organisations consistently meet customer expectations, improve planning and operational control, and embed a cycle of continual improvement. Had GWR fully implemented the ISO 9001 framework, several of the failures in this incident could have been identified, managed, or avoided entirely.

Here’s how.

1. Improved Risk-Based Planning (Clause 6.1)

ISO 9001 requires organisations to identify and plan for risks and opportunities that could impact service quality. With the summer season, special events, and known engineering works all converging, a comprehensive risk assessment could have flagged:

• Anticipated passenger surges.

• Limited rolling stock availability.

• The impact of signal failures at critical junctions like Didcot.

A quality-led system would have ensured early review meetings, scenario planning, and mitigation strategies (such as adding contingency trains or pre-warning customers) were triggered in advance.

2. Better Control of External Providers (Clause 8.4)

GWR’s reliance on third parties, including Network Rail for infrastructure and Hitachi for train maintenance, made tight coordination essential. ISO 9001 requires that organisations establish criteria for evaluating, selecting, and monitoring external providers to ensure they meet agreed standards.

A certified QMS would enforce:

• Clear interface agreements with Network Rail for advance notice of engineering works.

• Service-level agreements (SLAs) with real-time communication protocols.

• Joint operational readiness reviews before high-demand periods.

3. Robust Operational Planning and Control (Clause 8.1)

ISO 9001 demands structured processes for planning and controlling operations. This includes capacity planning, resource allocation, and process monitoring.

In practice, this would have meant:

• Real-time monitoring of train availability and station occupancy.

• Escalation protocols for handling disruptions.

• Contingency workflows for deploying backup rolling stock.

GWR reportedly lacked updated resource models to deal with the simultaneous failure of signalling and lack of train units – an operational blind spot that ISO 9001 planning controls are designed to catch.

4. Effective Customer Communication (Clause 8.2.1)

Conflicting travel advice, outdated app notifications, and lack of station staff guidance were key passenger complaints. ISO 9001 mandates that customer requirements – including communication preferences – are understood and met.

A functioning QMS would have ensured:

• Pre-drafted passenger communications ready for deployment in emergencies.

• Training for station staff on incident communication.

• Integration of real-time data systems to ensure accurate app updates.

5. Incident Response and Corrective Action (Clauses 8.7 & 10.2)

Finally, ISO 9001 requires processes to deal with nonconformities and take corrective action. This isn’t just about responding in the moment – it’s about learning from it.

After an incident like this, a certified company would:

• Conduct a root cause analysis across all departments and partners.

• Implement corrective measures (e.g. updating contingency protocols).

• Feed the findings into management review to ensure accountability and improvement.

Why It Matters

ISO 9001 doesn’t just help avoid embarrassment – it builds resilience. For a company like GWR, it would help embed a culture of preparation, coordination, and continual learning. The reputational hit from one weekend of failure can last months or years. Certification would show passengers and stakeholders that the business is serious about quality, transparency, and improvement.

At AAA Certification Ltd, we help transport providers and public-facing organisations implement ISO 9001 in a way that’s practical, effective, and tailored to their operating reality. When it comes to delivering critical services, quality shouldn’t be optional – it should be the standard.

Don't wait any longer. Sign up to a Certification Audit with AAA and take the first step towards achieving ISO 9001 certification.