Bombardier Transportation signed a contract with Trenitalia (Italian Railways) for the delivery of 50 very high speed trainsets V300ZEFIRO, a model of the BOMBARDIER ZEFIRO high speed trains family.

The V300ZEFIRO (known as ETR 1000 in Italy) is developed in partnership with AnsaldoBreda, a subsidiary of the Finmeccanica group of Italy. The total contract is valued at $2.10 billion. Bombardier's share of the contract is valued at $889 million.

The V300ZEFIRO has a capacity for 600 passengers and is capable of commercial speeds of up to about 224 mph. Its unusually high acceleration enables the train to ensure excellent travel times even in winding routes. It is fully interoperable and will provide cross-border service, taking Trenitalia's passengers to other European countries without the need for changing trains.

With the award announced today, Bombardier has won contracts for the delivery of a total of 210 trains of the ZEFIRO family. The first order for this platform came from China in October 2007, with a contract to supply ZEFIRO 250 km/h trains. Since then, Bombardier was awarded contracts to deliver 80 units of the ZEFIRO 380 model and additional 80 ZEFIRO 250 km/h trains, all ordered by the Ministry of Railways in China (MOR). The first-generation ZEFIRO 250 is already operating in China.

Under the technical leadership of Bombardier, the production, testing and commissioning of the V300ZEFIRO for Italy will take place in Italy at AnsaldoBreda sites and the Bombardier site in Vado Ligure. Other Bombardier sites will also participate in the development of the new train, such as the Bombardier high speed trains engineering hub site located in Hennigsdorf, Germany.