In 1897, the MS&LR became the Great Central Railway and in 1923 the line was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Over this period, the Fallowfield Loop line suffered from competition from alternative rail services into Manchester provided by the LNER from and later from the electric trams. By the 1930s, the LNER had greatly reduced the stopping services and mostly used the line for express trains. After 1948, the line was under the ownership of the nationalised British Railways. Briefly, consideration was given to electrification of the line, but instead the local stopping services were withdrawn and Fallowfield station was closed to passenger services on 7 July 1958. Express services out of Manchester Central continued to use the line until that terminus was closed in 1969 following the Beeching cuts. For another two decades, the line was used by freight trains until the line closed completely in 1988.