The pattern of passenger services over the line was always that all trains from Manchester ran to Oldham Mumps, but fewer continued on to terminate in a bay platform at Rochdale.

It was not usual for trains to terminate at Oldham Mumps and instead they ran on to Royton (until its closure in 1966), and subsequently to Shaw & Crompton.

The closure did not go ahead because what later became the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) agreed to fund the continuation of services.

The involvement of the GMPTE also led to a more frequent pattern of trains serving the Oldham Mumps to Rochdale section.

[6] From 2007 Network Rail made the annual leaf fall timetable permanent year round due to concerns over the condition of the track and performance.

Trains were timetabled to connect with the Caldervale Line services to Leeds via Hebden Bridge and Bradford Interchange.

At the time of closure the line's sole regular goods service was to the waste management plant next to Dean Lane railway station at the southern end of the Oldham Loop.

[13] In the period up to closure all passenger services were operated by diesel multiple units, as the line was not electrified.

Events held on 3 October 2009, the last day of operation, included the naming of Class 156 unit no 156 466 as Gracie Fields to commemorate the Oldham Loop Line's 146 years of history.

[17] GMPTE originally announced that Metrolink services would be introduced as follows [18] By summer 2011, the project was running several months behind schedule.

The reasons include diversion of resources to other Metrolink extensions to Chorlton and Ashton (themselves badly behind schedule) and issues with the new signalling system proposed for systemwide use.

Announced dates for Oldham loop openings were shown on Metrolink's own site as follows on 11 August 2011 [19] Transport for Greater Manchester announced during the week commencing 4 June 2012 that the line as far as Oldham Mumps will open to passenger services as an extension of the Manchester Victoria to St Werburgh's Road service on Wednesday 13 June 2012.

Trams finally began running through to Shaw & Crompton on 16 December 2012 and through to Rochdale on 28 February 2013, almost a year later than originally planned.

[20] This section has two new stops (at Kingsway and Newbold) and has been re-doubled from Shaw to Rochdale, except for the flyover which takes it across the Calder Valley main line.

Trams also began running through to East Didsbury in May 2013, with the commissioning of the South Manchester Line extension from St Werburgh's Road.