Not to mention the fact that maritime is highly connected to rail. As are trucking, aviation (hello Boeing), agriculture, mining, logging, petroleum, refining, milling, manufacturing, civil engineering, government, international trade, and many other subjects I don't really have the time to list and many more that I'm sure I'll miss anyway. Remove maritime shipping from the equation, whether containerized or bulk, and there would be a lot less traveling by rail. To fully understand the latter mode, you need to appreciate the former one as well. If the former one bores you, move on while the rest of us learn something.