The profit figure compares with a pre-tax loss of £100,000 in 2003 and chief executive Ron Zeghibe hailed the company's success in retaining important rail contracts, including Network Rail and First Great Western.
However, turnover grew at a slower rate than the outdoor market because of difficult conditions in the billboard sector. It was up 4.5% from £88.1m to £92.1m.
Zeghibe said that retail advertising showed healthy growth, but added that the billboard sector remained challenging and the effect of the General Election was creating some short-term uncertainty in the market.
This spring, Maiden is to take on Viacom Outdoor and JCDecaux in a 10-way fight for the contract to sell advertising space on the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and Victoria Coach Station.
Yesterday, Transport for London shortlisted 10 companies for its London Underground contract, worth an estimated £1.3bn.
Maiden improved its profitability by reducing the number of poorly performing panels in its estate, which consisted of 27,645 panels at the end of 2004, down from 30,381 panels at the end of 2003.
It promised to continue to eliminate underperforming assets during 2005.
The company said that the fastest-growing sector for client advertising spend was government, while double-digit growth was seen from retail, cosmetics and toiletries, and finance. There was a significant decline in spending by the automotive sector.
The Transvision network of large-scale video screens at railway stations is to be expanded to three more London stations this spring.
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