Two trams which lost their last advertising liveries in Manchester within the past couple of months have rejoined the ranks of trams with adverts after they received new wraps at the start of June 2025. The two trams we are writing about are 3081 and 3097.
The two new adverts are of varying quality with one nice, bright and adding some more colour to the network, whilst the other is really a bit of a mess!
We’ll start by looking at the tram which is a bit more pleasing on the eye – 3097. And speaking of eyes, it is advertising somewhere you may want to go this summer to protect your eyes – Sunglass Hut! Featuring a red background with splashes of blue it also includes contravision on some of the windows featuring pictures of the type you expect companies like this to use to promote their products.
3097’s last advert was for Sealife with those vinyls being carried in March and April 2025. Its only previous advert to that was for Cheez-It between September 2024 and January 2025.
Meanwhile, 3081 has also received a new ad which appears to be for the Manchester Arndale centre. Charitably you could describe this ad as busy and its one of those which is very hard to describe!
This is the tenth advert for 3081. Its last was for JD Sports (March-May 2025) and this advert also includes JD’s logo as its one of the stores in the Arndale being promoted. Other adverts in its past have been for IKEA, Starling Bank, Get On Board, Hard Rock Café, Delicia Drench Body Butter, Autotrader, Juneyao Airlines and a David Hockney exhibition at Aviva Studios.
3097 in the sunshine (appropriately for its product being advertised) on Mosley Street as part of a bit of a queue of trams. Engineering work through Piccadilly Gardens has now got underway so all trams will be going direct via Market Street.
3081 heads away from St Peter’s Square with a service to East Didsbury. This shows one part of the “busy” advert.
One big positive of 3081’s advert is it features a tram on the vinyls! Possibly the first time that a tram in Manchester has featured another tram on it? 3020 is the tram featured and it was obviously taken during some diversion as its off to Bury via Exchange Square. (All Photographs by Reece Hughes, 3rd June 2025)