The intention to build a line from near Basingstoke to Bristol was dropped when the Great Western Railway was approved.

Eventually, it was built reaching Andover in 1854 and Salisbury three years later, before being extended to become the West of England Main Line.

In 1993, an explosive device planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army was found in a toilet, soon after a bomb scare at Reading railway station.

South West Trains also ran a local service from Reading to Brighton until timetable changes on 9 December 2007.

[10] In 2012, improvements were made to the station, including a new stainless steel and glass frontage, an enlarged booking hall and a new waiting room on platforms 2 and 3.

[11] In 2022, South Western Railway introduced staff members called "Welcome Hosts" at this station and some others to provide information and sell tickets.

The main entrance to the south has access to a taxi rank, some car parks and a bus stop, with steps down to The Malls shopping centre.

It was announced in 2013 that a new Network Rail signalling operating centre would be built in Basingstoke; the contract was for £30 million.

Twelve such regional control centres were to be built in the following 15 to 30 years, which will be responsible for all the signalling in the Wessex & South West England area (right through from London Waterloo to Weymouth, Portsmouth Harbour and Exeter).

This was closed by British Railways in March 1963, but remained in use as a servicing point until the end of steam in July 1967.

[19] The Berks and Hants Railway opened a small shed to the east of the station on the north side of the line in 1850.