A HISTORIC train works will close within months, owners have confirmed.

The gates will shut at the 160-year-old St Rollox Railway Works on June 1.

READ MORE: Gemini Rail Services' response to Scottish trainline closure

It is understood that 120 jobs will be lost, though some reports said this could rise to 200.

Owner Gemini Rail Services confirmed the decision yesterday in a letter which said that bosses "sincerely regret the impact this business decision will have" on workers and their families.

A consultation into the future of the site, which opened in Glasgow's Springburn district to serve the Caledonian Railway in 1865, began in December, when Gemini Rail said a drop in custom meant it could no longer afford to run the facility.

That fall is linked to the introduction of modern shuttles to replace the pre-privatisation rolling stock serviced and maintained at the site.

In recent Scottish Parliament debates, MSPs urged the Scottish Government to help save the specialist plant, which was also the focus of the Rally Roon the Caley campaign.

READ MORE: Holyrood protest calls on Government to prevent railworks job losses

In a letter, Gemini Rail said the works were losing £1million a month in 2018, despite attempts to win new contracts. The letter states: "Demand for our services is reducing drastically."

The site's closure will be a "gradual process" as current work comes to a close in July. Gemini Rail's involvement with the facility will end in 2020, when its lease expires.

The company said that while it is "fully aware of the important political discussion" around closure and the "importance of such an historical site to Scotland", no idea floated "would support the business in the long-term or avert substantial losses which threaten the viability of the business".

Local politicians Paul Sweeney MP and Bob Doris MSP have reiterated their calls for the Scottish Government to find a new purpose for the works, potentially as a national rail hub, and to support the workforce.

Union representatives declined to comment this evening until all affected staff have been informed.