A Railroad Company Lays a Line of Track Between Houston

question 62

Essay

A railroad company lays a line of track between Houston and Dallas. It provides daily service for industrial customers and ships 5,000 ton-miles per day with a single train and only one departure and arrival at each end. It has an opportunity to purchase a second train that would allow it to ship twice the amount of ton-miles per day. Does this firm face increasing, constant or decreasing returns to scale? Explain.

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Definitions:

Incremental Overhead

Additional overhead costs that arise due to a new activity or an increase in existing activities within a company, not previously budgeted or accounted for.

Sunk Costs

Sunk Costs are costs that have already been incurred and cannot be recovered, and should not affect future business decisions.

Additional Costs

Expenses incurred beyond the expected or budgeted amounts, often relating to unexpected events or changes in circumstances.

Nonfinancial Factors

Aspects influencing decision-making in business that are not quantifiable in monetary terms, such as employee satisfaction or environmental impact.