Overview
- Chris Williamson, the RIBA president, has proposed The Loop, an elevated high-speed circuit linking Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool and Bangor.
- The concept specifies roughly 50‑metre trains running every five minutes at up to 300 mph with point‑to‑point services designed to keep any intercity journey under 90 minutes.
- Engineers at Elliott Wood contributed a framework featuring stone viaducts and locally sourced materials, with the corridor also envisioned as an energy ring main for wind power and small modular reactors.
- Williamson estimates construction at about £130 billion and projects annual economic benefits near £12 billion.
- Fresh reporting underscores major obstacles, as a rail expert labels the scheme a non‑starter over 300 mph claims and Irish Sea crossings, with RIBA characterizing it as a speculative submission intended to prompt discussion.