THE railway line through Clydebank is set to close for five days for work on the Exxon site development.

A report to West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) says that the closure between Dumbarton and Glasgow is required for construction of the “western underpass” at the west end of the site near Milton.

Councillors will be asked next week to approve the spending of £5.74 million on the design and construction of the new underpass.

The report, prepared ahead of the next full WDC meeting on October 26, says that approval of the spending is required “in order to comply with the overall programme of works on the site”.

It also reveals that the railway line is scheduled to close for five days over Christmas 2023 to allow the work to take place.

The request comes two months after councillors approved the deferral of a final business case for the project until June of next year.

The cost of the work is already part of the £34 million budget for the project, which is part of the £1.13bn City Deal for the Glasgow City Region.

The report for next week’s meeting states: “The contract for the western underpass design and build package requires to be agreed as soon as possible, as it impacts on the timescales for the originally agreed Network Rail line possession, which allows the western underpass construction.

“Failing to secure the line possession will have consequences for the overall programme and cost.

“While the council is being requested to agree the payment of these costs in advance of approval of the full business case, the design and construction of the western underpass were always accounted for in the costs required to complete the project and so, while they have been the subject of construction inflation, they are not unknown additional costs.”

According to the project programme, as long as the design and build contract is agreed by November, design work will take place between December and May, with pre-construction work on the site between June and December of next year before the five-day closure of the railway next Christmas.

When the overall Exxon site is complete, the site will feature storage, distribution, industrial, business and office space as well as a 1.95km relief road for the nearby A82 and ‘green infrastructure enhancements’, including a waterfront path for pedestrians and cyclists and a heritage area around Dunglass Castle in Bowling.

Meanwhile, WDC’s request to defer submission of the full business case for the Exxon site development will be considered by the Glasgow City Region’s Cabinet on November 8.

A previous report, prepared for a full council meeting in August, revealed that the estimated cost of completing the final business case for the Exxon project had almost doubled from £3.45m to £6.44m.