from about 1840, the prussian military urgently sought a railway connection to the russian border for strategic reasons. the railway was also seen from the early years as a means of developing the underdeveloped areas of east prussia and pomerania. a lack of interest from the private sector led king frederick william iv to initiate in 1845 preparatory work for the construction of the eastern railway. construction was stopped, as the members of the provincial diet ("provinziallandtag") of east prussia refused consent for the king to borrow for the project. this vote was confirmed in the united diet ("vereinigter landtag"), the first parliamentary body covering all of prussia, which was convened in april 1847 and subsequently dissolved. members voted by a two-thirds majority against authorising a government loan for the eastern railway project.