English: Italians monopolizing the Djibouti railway station c. 1936-40.
The Franco-Ethiopian Railway connecting Djibouti to Addis Ababa was the most practical mean to reach southern Ethiopia and Addis Ababa from the coast, and the only feasible one during the rainy season. The French let the Italians use the railway and its facilities at will during their invasion and occupation of Ethiopia. A private commercial agreement was signed in Rome in July 1936, granting the Italians a substantial reduction in rates and further concessions were granted in 1938. The French-owned railroad company agreed to spend 70 million francs to increase the rolling stock, workshops, etc., to satisfy Italian needs. (Virginia Thompson and Richard Adloff, Djibouti and the Horn of Africa, Stanford University Press, 1968, p. 12)