The Fallowfield Loop is an off-road cycle path, pedestrian and horse riding route in the south of Manchester, England, which is one of the National Cycle Network routes and paths; it was developed and built by Sustrans, forming part of routes 6 and 60. The Loop follows the route of the former Fallowfield Loop railway line, which was closed in October 1988. It is approximately 8 miles long and connects Chorlton-cum-Hardy in the west with Fairfield in the east; it passes through Whalley Range, Fallowfield, Levenshulme and Gorton. It can be seen on Google Maps, where it is marked in the same way as a railway line and passes a short way above the Fallowfield marker. History The Fallowfield Loop railway line was a local railway route in Greater Manchester. Trains on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway line (later, the Great Central Railway line) from Sheffield Victoria and Guide Bridge used the "Loop" to access Manchester Central railway station. At the line joined with the Manchester South District Line on the route into Manchester Central. The Fallowfield Loop Line was fully opened to passengers in 1892. On 7 July 1958 the stations at Hyde Road, Levenshulme South, Fallowfield and Wilbraham Road were closed, although the line itself remained open to through passenger services until 5 May 1969, after which it was operated as a freight-only route. The loop line also provided access to Reddish Electric Depot, which was built adjacent to the line in 1954 to maintain the new fleet of electric trains for the Woodhead Line; the depot closed in 1983. In March 1987 a short section of track at the former site of Hyde Road station was briefly used to give a public demonstration of the proposed Manchester Metrolink tram system, with a temporary station named Debdale Park constructed beside the line. Soon after this, the line was finally closed and the railway tracks were lifted in October 1988. Conversion to a cycle route The old line had lain derelict for many years until the late 1990s, when a group of cyclists started campaigning for its conversion to a traffic free "greenway" across south Manchester. That group, together with supporters from local civic societies and other community groups, formally became the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop in June 2001. The route is now mostly owned by Sustrans, a charity which specialises in building off-road cycle routes. There