Between 1885 and 1888, the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR) constructed a line between Barking and Pitsea via Upminster to provide a more direct route between the two cities.

[10] Gale Street Halt was renamed as Becontree and the new station building to the designs of the architect William Henry Hamlyn[11] opened on 18 July 1932, with electrified District line services starting operation 2 months after on 12 September.

[14] This particular section of the line between Barking and Upminster was popular among commuters getting to West and East Ham which reduced the need for bus services.

Other reasons were a shortened travel time to Charing Cross of up to 35 minutes and the good availability of trains servicing this part of the line.

The single-storey brick station buildings are of typical 1930s design which are also constructed at Dagenham East, Hornchurch and Upminster at the time.

Station refurbishment works were completed by Metronet in 2006,[19] where heritage features were restored, CCTV equipment replaced and PA system enhanced.

New wall tiles and ceilings were clad, and new tactile strips, customer Help Points and better lighting were installed.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:[12] The station is said to be haunted by a faceless woman with long blonde hair that several staff members have sighted.