‘Game-changer’ upgrade for hidden gem cycle route Liverpool Loop Line

The completion of the first major upgrade to one of Liverpool’s key active travel corridors has been hailed as “a game-changer” for the city’s population.

The historic Liverpool Loop Line, laid out on a former disused railway that closed in 1964, was originally finished in 2000 after a 12-year reclamation programme. But many of its access points proved to be a barrier.

Now Liverpool City Council and its partner Sustrans have completed the six-month-long task of updating 15 entrances along the 11 mile traffic-free route to improve accessibility for all users.

Old Swan West Councillor William Shortall uses a wheelchair, he said: “Having the accessibility at different points along the loop line is really great you can go from A to B, know where you’re going and get off at certain points you want to get to. I mean, it’s not perfect, don’t get me wrong, but it’s accessible.”

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to benefit from the upgrade, especially those with wheelchairs, prams, mobility scooters, adapted cycles, and horse riders.

Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region’s Active Travel Commissioner, said: “The important thing about all the new access that Sustrans and the council have put in is that, up until this point, the loop line has been really good for cycling, for walking and running but if you’re a wheelchair user or if you’re a buggy pusher then a lot of the gates are very difficult to navigate. What everyone’s realised is that putting barriers up does not stop antisocial behaviour. All it actually does is exclude other users.”

The hidden corridor winds through the suburban heartlands of the city, from Halewood in the south to Aintree in the north, with more than half a million people living within 20 minutes of the trail.

The route is also on the National Cycle Network and forms part of the award-winning Trans Pennine Trail, with connections at Aintree taking people through to Southport.