Gemini Rail depot in Glasgow to close with loss of 120 jobs

The Knorr-Bremse depot was taken over by Gemini Rail Services who have announced closure plans

About 120 jobs are to be lost after a rail maintenance company confirmed it is to close its Glasgow depot.

The owners of Gemini Rail Services in Springburn, the former Knorr-Bremse depot, had been consulting on the closure since last December.

The Springburn depot carries out service, maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrades on trains for ScotRail.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "extremely disappointed" by the news.

The company has blamed the closure on falling orders.

Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Ms Sturgeon said: "I know this will be a very concerning time for workers and their families.

"However, and I want to stress this point, we believe consideration does still need to be given to potential options for keeping the site open.

"There will be a further meeting of stakeholders at the end of this month to discuss the way forward."

Ms Sturgeon added that staff had worked to complete on vehicles leased to ScotRail until July this year and Gemini Rail had retained the lease until March next year.

The Springburn facility maintains trains for ScotRail

She said: "That means there is time to work with industry with a view to repurposing the site for future rail use.

"And, to that end, Scottish Enterprise has already engaged independent financial advice in reviewing Gemini Rail's model for the site."

Ms Sturgeon was replying to a question from SNP MSP Bob Doris, whose constituency covers the Springburn site.

He described the announcement of 120 redundancies and the looming closure as "a devastating blow for a skilled and dedicated workforce".

Mr Doris also accused Gemini Rail of being "inflexible and uncooperative".

Last year, the company said the closure proposal was "a result of increasingly changing and challenging market conditions which are outside of our control".

A spokesman added: "It is very clear, as it has been for some time, that numbers of pre-privatisation rolling stock which have been the cornerstone of business for many years, are in severe decline. "