LOOKING around the production lines of Bombardier's Litchurch Lane site it is hard to imagine that the company could be worried about the future.

For the past 18 months an unprecedented five production lines have been busy filling orders for new trains.

As Richard Lambert, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, enjoyed his guided tour of Bombardier, he could have quite understandably assumed the firm is enjoying life in the land of plenty, at least for the moment.

But things can change very rapidly in the rail industry.

If we miss a train we know another one will be along shortly.

But if a firm like Bombardier misses out on an order there is no guarantee that a replacement contract will follow straight after.

The reality for Bombardier is the majority of the contracts it is working on at the moment will be completed by the end of this year.

Another will finish early next year and only one will continue to provide work to 2014, which is certainly not enough to sustain its current workforce of 2,500 or the 12,000 or so employed in Bombardier's supply chain.

The Government is currently investing heavily in new rolling stock. Whether it has the cash to pay for it is another matter.

But money worries aside, these government contracts present the best opportunity for Bombardier to plug the gaping hole in its order book.

This time last year the company suffered the hammer-blow of losing out on the £7.5bn Intercity Express Programme contract.

The Department for Transport chose Agility Trains, a consortium headed by Japanese manufacturer Hitachi, as the preferred bidder for the contract to replace Britain's ageing high speed trains, ahead of a consortium led by Bombardier.

The fact Agility is yet to put pen to paper on IEP might give Bombardier a sliver of hope.

But instead it has decided to focus on what many analysts believe is a make or break deal for the company, Thameslink.

Thameslink is a £1.4bn contract to build up to 1,200 carriages, with maintenance work on the new fleet likely to be worth several billion pounds to the winning bidder.

Bombardier is up against German firm Siemens Mobility to become the preferred bidder for the trains, which would run between Bedford and Brighton.

The DfT has promised an announcement by autumn, after which a signature on the contract would follow "soon".

But in the meantime there is the not-so-insignificant matter of a General Election.

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers has already indicated if the Conservatives get into power then they intend to go through each contract, including IEP, to ensure the nation is getting value for money.

This could be good news for Bombardier, or it could be very bad if the Tories decide to pull the plug on these investments.

But what does help is having someone like Mr Lambert lending his ear to some of the issues Bombardier faces.

He was in Derby to talk to Bombardier's UK chairman and see the production lines – and it would seem the experience left quite an impression.

Mr Lambert said: "It is a very impressive production facility crammed with hi-tech equipment and expertise.

"What Bombardier does in Derby is high value work. As a country I feel we cannot afford to lose it."

The CBI is regarded as one of Britain's most powerful business voices, representing the views of more than 200,000 employers. It has the ear of the Government and of Brussels.

Mr Lambert said: "One of the most important parts of my job, and one of the most enjoyable, is travelling the country talking to CBI members and listening to their concerns.

"It is the role of the CBI to represent their interests and make sure the issues that affect them are heard by the Government and in Europe.

"Perhaps the main issue for Bombardier is how to tackle the peaks and troughs in its order book."

Mr Lambert said his visit to Bombardier also underlined the CBI's support for the manufacturing sector as a whole.

He said: "Manufacturing is highly important to the UK economy and I believe this sector has a crucial role to play in getting the country back on its feet again.

"Derby is often held up as a manufacturing centre, a place with real engineering strengths. Within this, Bombardier is a major player.

"The work that is done here is substantially for the UK.

"It is also vital we retain skilled engineers and support apprentices, which is something Bombardier does."

Winning a major rail contract would help stop Bombardier losing some of that talent.

But Mr Lambert appreciates that the Government is short of cash and that with cuts in public spending likely, departments will be fighting to ensure budgets are not slashed.

Mr Lambert said: "The Government is investing heavily in rail infrastructure but is it clear that its initial public spending plans cannot be sustained.

"It is my hope that the next government, whoever it is, resists the urge to cut capital expenditure, particularly in transport infrastructure.

"Rail passenger numbers have grown in recent years and extra capacity is needed. I have a particular selfish interest in Thameslink because I live in the area those new trains will serve."

One concern within the industry is the tendering process. Despite EU competition rules, a high percentage of contracts in places like France and Germany tend to go to firms in those countries – and despite the fact Japanese firms can bid for UK contracts, UK firms cannot bid for Japanese work.

Mr Lambert said: "I think the UK has always benefited from open competition. All bids should be judged on quality and price."

Colin Walton, chairman of Bombardier in the UK, agreed more backing for the rail industry could help create a more stable long-term economy.

He said: "We believe, as the CBI does, that this is the time for manufacturing, particularly hi-tech manufacturing. This is what we do here.

"I believe it is time for manufacturing to take its rightful place and bring balance back to the economy.

"The downturn highlighted the country's over-reliance on the financial services sector.

"We still need financial services – manufacturing needs the capital to function. A problem our suppliers have encountered during the recession is accessibility to finance.

"Many suppliers even now are finding it very tough to obtain cash but as a company we have devised ways where we can support them.

"My own belief is with the skills and determination in this sector, if we get the support that we need then we will reward this country back threefold."