A small line left Huskisson, retracing the route northward before turning towards the river and the Midland Railway's Sandon and Canada Dock Goods station.

The trackbed of the main section of line now forms part of the National Cycle Network Route 62 and the Trans Pennine Trail.

The route circled the outer fringes of the city of Liverpool using primarily existing rail lines merged to create the loop.

The Outer Loop would have connected the eastern suburbs of the city—Gateacre, Childwall, Broadgreen, Knotty Ash, West Derby, Norris Green and Walton—with the city centre.

[2] The final plan of the Outer Loop consisted of two sub-loops - serving the northern and southern suburbs with both running through the city centre from the east.

The key components of the Loop were as follows: The West Section - the existing Merseyrail Electrics Northern Line from Sandhills in the north (later Aintree on the Ormskirk branch) to Hunts Cross.

[citation needed] The Outer Rail Loop would have been double-track throughout and electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system used by the Merseyrail Electrics network.

Much expense was incurred in constructing a large bridge taking the M62 motorway over the eastern section and header tunnels at Liverpool Central station.

In 2012 the body of missing person Paula Hounslea was discovered on an embankment of the loop line cycle path near its junction with Blackthorne Road in Fazakerley.