It then runs over the 650-metre-long Pomona Viaduct, which carries the line over the Bridgewater Canal: Pomona tram stop is located upon this viaduct south of the ship canal, and is the interchange with the Trafford Park Line which opened in March 2020.

It runs all the way to Eccles town centre along Eccles New Road, serving Weaste and Ladywell, temporarily pulling to the side of the road to serve tram stops instead of disrupting traffic, much like the East Manchester Line, another line on the Metrolink network.

During the 1990s, Salford Quays became a business district specifically redeveloped for commerce, leisure, culture and tourism with a high density of business units and modern housing, complemented by a cinema complex, office blocks, and waterfront promenade.

[2][3] In April 1997 Altram, a consortium of the Serco, Ansaldo and John Laing, was appointed to construct the Eccles Line; Serco, responsible for the Sheffield Supertram would operate the whole network under contract; Ansaldo provided six additional vehicles — T-68As – and signalling equipment.

[2][3][5] The Eccles Line was officially opened as far as Broadway tram stop on 6 December 1999 by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who praised Metrolink as "exactly the type of scheme needed to solve the transport problems of the metropolitan areas of the country";[6][7] a service to Eccles Interchange joined the network on 21 July 2000,[4][2] and was officially declared open by Anne, Princess Royal at a ceremony on 9 January 2001.