With massive spending cuts on the way, the chance of new train orders in Britain look bleak.

But Italian Railways has just ordered 50 new high-speed trains worth £1.3 billion.

The announcement came from Bombardier which has a train factory in Derby.

But Bombardier’s Zephyr trains will be assembled and tested at the AnsaldoBreda factory in Italy and Bombardier’s Vado Ligure plant with technical input from Bombardier’s engineering centre in Henningsdorf, Germany.

Bombardier’s share of the contract is £566 million.

The V300ZEFIRO trains can carry 600 passengers and is capable of 220 miles per hour.

The makers say it is ideal for Italy’s winding routes and can operate beyond Italy’s borders.

Bombardier has now sold 210 Zephyr trains worldwide with most going to China.

Information from Bombardier.