 In 1982 the future of the Chesham line came into serious question , as it became clear that the two bridges carrying the line into Chesham were deteriorating badly and that , unless the bridges were replaced , the branch could not continue to operate after 1986 . By this time rail services in Buckinghamshire had been drastically cut back under the Beeching Axe mass rail closure programme of the 1960s . The last passenger trains north of Aylesbury had run on 5 September 1966 , and since then the future of the Amersham – Aylesbury route itself had been in serious doubt . The Greater London Council was scheduled for abolition , bringing their subsidy of the Chesham branch to an end . Buckinghamshire County Council was unwilling to pay for replacing the bridges , proposing instead that the station be relocated to the original proposed station site of the 1880s on the south side of the bridges . Safety concerns had led to a speed limit of 15 miles per hour ( 24 km / h ) over the bridges , and the line appeared certain to be closed . 
