LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Transport group Go-Ahead,one of the companies behind the strike-hit Southern rail networkin Britain, reported a 17 percent rise in annual profits,boosted by strong demand for bus and train travel.
Go-Ahead posted adjusted operating profit of 157.4 millionpounds ($209 million) in the 12 months ended July 2 2016,compared with 134.7 million a year before and beating aconsensus forecast of 153.6 million.
The company, whose rail services carry about a third of allpassengers across Britain, is under pressure to improve theSouthern network after months of strikes, cancellations anddelays.
Disruption on the Southern part of the wider GoviaThameslink Railway, a partnership in which Go-Ahead holds 65percent alongside France's Keolis, forced Go-Ahead to warn inJune that the seven-year rail contract would now produce marginsnearer to 1.5 percent, compared with the 3 percent margin itpreviously expected.($1 = 0.7530 pounds) (Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by David Holmes)
