THE company which runs a rail division in York saw its profits shoot up by 37 per cent in the year covering the Potters Bar rail crash.

Infrastructure firm Jarvis, which has its rail maintenance headquarters in York, recorded profits of £62.7 million in the period to March 31.

The company, which was responsible for maintaining the section of track where seven people died when a train derailed on a set of points at Potters Bar, said turnover from all its businesses also increased 28 per cent to £1.22 billion.

Jarvis said the year had been "sadly overshadowed" by the events at Potters Bar, adding that the ongoing investigation meant it was unable to make any further comment today about the incident.

Commenting on today's figures, Jarvis chairman Paris Moayedi said the year had seen a "strong operational performance" from the company's core businesses covering transport, education and health.

Updated: 11:16 Thursday, June 12, 2003