It’s a case of three becomes two on the West Midlands Metro as one vinyl wrap advert has been removed whilst the two remaining have seen some time out of action but are now back in service on the line between Birmingham and Edgbaston.
The tram which has lost its vinyls is the tram which had received its ads the most recent – 57. It was only in December 2024 (which is still just last month despite January being traditionally the longest 31 days you will have in any given year!) that the tram received a white and blue wrap for PayPal but with January only just halfway through the vinyls have been stripped returning the tram back to standard fleet colours.
The other two trams with adverts retain them though. 45 has advertised City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since April 2023 whilst 58 had had vinyls for Birmingham City University from September 2024.
45 was in the wars around 21st December 2024 when it was hit by a car in Wolverhampton which caused some damage to the tram. This led to it being out of service for a few weeks, but after repairs it was back out on test on Monday 13th January 2025 after the repairs were completed. It has since returned to passenger action.
As for 58 that also spent a period out of use from early December into early January but that tram is also back in action.
58 back in service on 10th January 2025 as it calls at Kenrick Place on the way to Edgbaston Village. The tram retains its full wrap for Birmingham City University.
After repairs to damage at one end which happened after it was hit by a car just before Christmas, 45 was back out on the tramway on 13th January 2025 undergoing tests. Its seen here at The Crescent. (Both Photographs by Andy Walters)