One of the big advantages of the vinyl wrap adverts we are used to seeing on tramways across the country now is that it takes very little effort to remove them once contracts are over which means in many places some adverts are short-lived. One of those systems which seems to have a revolving door of adverts is Manchester Metrolink and there have recently been a few more changes to wraps carried.
It’s a case of one in and three out in recent changes. The one in is 3081 which is now carrying wrap for Autotrader and their celebrity podcast Show on the Road. This is a very simple advert which just features a dark blue background along with the name of the podcast (across the middle set of windows on each section of the tram) and mention of Autotrader. It does also include adverts on the end which means the fleet number has been applied lower as we’ve seen on a few others recently.
3081’s advert is the sixth that this particular tram has carried: IKEA (May-December 2019), Starling Bank (July-August 2022), GetOnBoard (October-December 2022), Hard Rock Café (July-October 2023) and Delicia Drench Body Butter (March-May 2024).
Meanwhile, there have also been two trams which have lost their adverts in mid-July:
- 3047 – KFC (only applied in June 2024 and coming just as a tram on the West Midlands Metro got the same advert!)
- 3118 – Ali Express (also applied June 2024)
3081 sits at Piccadilly working on the Bury service. It was the front tram of a double unit (with 3134). (Photograph by Reece Hughes, 22nd July 2024)
A second view of 3081 as it calls at St Peter’s Square on the way to East Didsbury. (Photograph by Michael Morton, 24th July 2024)