Another award ceremony in Manchester is over and the vinyls on a tram which was advertising it taking place have quickly been removed! Metrolink 3104 is now running back in fleet livery after its vinyls for the MOBO Awards were removed on Sunday 29th March 2026.
3104 had only received this advert earlier in the month but as is the way in Manchester as soon as the event takes place the vinyls are ripped off! The tram was running with the advert on Saturday 28th March but during the following day it was noted back at the depot in full fleet livery once more.
This had been 3104’s second full advert following a design for Manchester Airport between August and October 2025. It also had a partial advert for Singin’ In The Rain from October until December 2025.
Elsewhere on Manchester Metrolink and Monday 30th March also saw the introduction of the temporary timetable. Introduced to allow a major driver recruitment campaign to take place over the spring and summer, this timetable sees Monday to Saturday daytime frequencies reduce from every 12 to every 15 minutes on all lines. There are also some route changes.
Services will now be running every 15 minutes as follows:
- Bury to Piccadilly
- Altrincham to Etihad Campus
- Altrincham to Bury (peak)
- Eccles to Ashton-under-Lyne via MediaCityUK
- East Disbury to Rochdale Town Centre
- East Didsbury to Shaw and Crompton (peak)
- Airport to Victoria
- The Trafford Centre to Crumpsall
This includes the much mooted extension of the service from The Trafford Centre to Crumpsall instead of terminating at Deansgate-Castlefield. The Eccles to Ashton service will all go via MediaCityUK throughout the day whilst Etihad Campus is instead served by the all-day Altrincham service (as it is on a Sunday and evenings).
There will be an increase in double units being operated and its thought that Monday to Saturday daytime will require 127 trams to operate it (out of the total fleet of 147).
3104 on its last day carrying the MOBO Awards advert. Its working to MediaCityUK when seen at Exchange Quay on 28th March 2026.
Just a day later and the tram may not have been in service but as this view shows of it sitting at Trafford Depot it is now devoid of its black advertising vinyls. (Both Photographs by Oliver Shenton)