Located on the line linking Leeds to Doncaster via Wakefield, immediately south-east of the point where it passes beneath Church Lane, the present station is the second to serve Adwick: the first, the main building of which still stands, lay on the other side of the present road bridge.

Opened in March 1866 as an intermediate stop on the West Riding and Grimsby Railway's main line from Wakefield Westgate to Doncaster, the station was at first called "Adwick-le-Street and Carcroft"; the name was changed in 1880 to "Carcroft and Adwick-le-Street".

Situated on the Doncaster-bound (up) platform, it was constructed of rock-faced stone, with hipped roofs and a spire which was part of the living quarters.

Adwick was reopened, with new platforms to the south-east of the original station site, by the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and British Rail in 1993.

In the evenings and on Sundays (both hourly) the station is served only by the Doncaster to Leeds stopping trains.