The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line. Construction was beset by engineering and other problems, leading to severe financial difficulties. As a result the scope of the project was truncated in April 1839 to Colchester.