Edinburgh Trams 252 has received a new advert – in the “double T” style we have seen on many of the trams in the fleet over the years – with a new design for Omni Centre appearing from 1st April 2026. Often when we report on new ads in Edinburgh it’s the eight, ninth, even tenth but for 252 it is just the second different advert it has having been one of the long-termers promoting C R Smith.
252 had been advertising C R Smith since October 2017 when it became the 12th tram in the fleet to receive vinyls in the first commercial sponsorship deal on the trams. As with all the first set of adverts it had a from… to… theme and for 252 it was Bannockburn to Dundee – and it included an image of a statue of Desperate Dan!
Whilst other C R Smith trams had seen their adverts removed, 252 had clung on but its time is over now with this new advert for Omni Centre now featuring. The advert tells us that the Omni Centre is where good times meet. As we’re used to it includes just two full height sections which also cover the windows on the third and fifth sections of the tram (which is where the luggage racks can be found on the trams).
The Omni Centre is located at the top of Leith Walk and includes various entertainment venues including a Vue cinema and escape rooms.
This now means that there remain just four (at one time it was 20!) trams which advertise C R Smith – 253, 259, 265, and 266.
We have become accustomed to seeing lots of different adverts appearing in Edinburgh over recent years but this is actually the very first all new advert for 2026 – and its taken three months. Although it’s the first new one, we have seen three trams (251, 254, and 275) receive amendments to existing companies designs.
252 is seen here on McDonald Road with a service to Newhaven showing off its new advertising vinyls. This side of the advert tells us that not is it where good times meet but also where burgers meet games!
The other end of the advert and some more of the detail. And we now know that the Omni Centre is also where fitness meets fun! (Both Photographs by Roy Calderwood, 5th April 2026)