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Why do railroads run intermodal so fast?

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Look at it another way... Why must commuters in large pickup trucks roar down the interstate for 30 miles at 90 mph in the morning knowing they will be stuck in congestion as US 67 meets I40 and I30 for little Rock where everyone else is also going. 1000 miles takes about one day in a 18 wheeler. You forgot it can take a whole day or more to get unloaded and reloaded. So call it 3 days on that 1000 mile run. Let's extend your theory a bit further. I dont have the shipping numbers at hand but assume.... Portsmouth England to Baltimore and then west to LA has got to be a *** sight faster than Portsmouth to Panama then up to LA. I used to work the docks with containers to and from ships and noticed that explosive growth of container-on-rail that changed intermodal from the east coast to the west coast back in the early 90's SeaGirt in Baltimore has a yard now where boxes are taken off ships and thrown onto trains really fast. That train probably would arrive in LA while the ship is still negotiating the Canal down in central america. Cape Horn at the tip of South America is a feared passage for Mariners and not really a good option. Regarding the rest of the time lost ... the freight sometimes sits in the warehouse for a few days upon arrival as arrangements are made for final delivery. I theorize the life that I had when I would be given 10 days to get from Baltimore to California at 20 cents a mile in the early 80's that allowed plenty of time to do the job right with meals, showers sleeping etc... and following the speed limits etc...(Err sorta) Is not the life that I finished in 2001 with 4 day Baltimore to LA team runs stopping for nothing but fuel three times for a total of one hour the whole trip for .38 a mile. And emptying that 5th day AM, reloaded by dinner time and passing Flagstaff AZ by the end of the next day. Life has speeded up alot. Look at the people who dont have time to do anything but go to work, come home from work and race to work the next day. All other errands and important needs are left until Fridays and Weekends where extra delay is experienced due to the crush of people running the same errands you are. Railroads are sure running them trains. Maybe it is the crossing. Perhaps they will have less accidents running thru town at 70 mph to make the cars wait for them. If they plodded thru at a nice safe speed, they will have had to stop for all of those crossing gate runners.
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