Prior to the establishment of the Shore Line East system on May 29, 1990, Branford was a stop for Amtrak's Beacon Hill trains.

[4] However, the expanded lot has consistently failed to be fully used, leading to calls for it to be replaced by transit oriented development and a smaller parking deck.

[6] Construction on the $16.5M project–which includes the new platform, a pedestrian overpass with elevators, a drop-off lot on the north side of the tracks, and restoration of an existing parking lot–began in September 2013.

[9] By September 2015, the new platform and pedestrian bridge were scheduled to open on December 18, 2015, but this was delayed into 2016 due to the previous harsh winter and components for a train warning system being unavailable.

[11] The north-side drop-off area and pedestrian bridge were opened on September 30, 2016, although trains did not immediately use the north platform.