Rail crash firm doubles profit

The company at the centre of the Potters Bar rail investigation today revealed a huge rise in profits.

Jarvis, the firm responsible for track maintenance at the time of the crash which left seven dead, saw profits soar to £45.8 million from £24million.

The details come just one day after an Evening Standard investigation revealed the shocking truth about safety standards on Britain's railways.

Our undercover investigation revealed a crumbling network under the care of an unsupervised workforce.

Rail employees worked illegal double shifts of up to 20 hours a day. Jarvis, which was responsible for giving the reporter safety training, cut short a course which should have lasted 13 hours to just six.

The investigation sparked a huge row within the rail industry, and today's profits by Jarvis will only add to the furore.

Jarvis is responsible for the maintenance of the railways on the East Coast Main Line and specifically for the points found to be at fault causing the derailment last month of the 12.45 from King's Cross to King's Lynn, in which seven people died.

Despite the profit rise, Jarvis shares today opened for trading at 323.5p, a fall of 40 per cent since the Potters Bar crash, which has wiped off over £300 million from the stock market value of the company in the last month.

Today relatives of two Potters Bar crash victims called on the Government to held an urgent public inquiry. Relatives of former BBC Worldwide Service managing director Austen Kark, who died and wife Nina Bawden, who is still in hospital, also demanded an end to the contracting out of railway maintenance and track renewal.

Ms Bawden, who was married to Mr Kark for 48 years, said: "A safe and decent transport system is one of the attributes of a civilised society. New Labour took a gamble on Railtrack because they didn't have the political will to put things right and my husband paid with his life."

Her son Robert Bawden added: "Whilst the travelling public will continue to want reduced journey times with increasing train speeds, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that the track and signalling are maintained to a high standard.

"This has not been the case in recent years and it is the responsibility of government and railway management to correct the situation."

Solicitor Louise Christian said: "Nina and her family, along with others, are being caused unnecessary anguish by the failure of the railway industry to take responsibility for this crash and by questionable suggestions that saboteurs are to blame."

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