It was built as part of Phase 3a of the network's expansion, and opened on 7 July 2011 on a section of the former Cheshire Lines Committee railway.

The station was mentioned in the 1964 song "Slow Train" by Flanders and Swann, which was written to lament the loss of stations resulting from the Beeching cuts: No churns, no porter, no cat on a seat,At Chorlton-cum-Hardy or Chester-le-Street.Chorlton station was subsequently demolished and a Morrisons (originally Safeway) supermarket and car park built in its place, although the track bed remained extant to the side of the supermarket and part of one of the platforms survives next to the supermarket building.

Proposals to link Chorlton to a light rail system had been put forward since the 1980s,[6] but remained unfunded for over 20 years.

On the Rochdale to East Didsbury line, the last evening north-bound services (the last 2–3 dependent on day of week) terminate at Manchester Victoria.

Before the East Didsbury extension was completed in May 2013, southeast bound services terminated at St Werburgh's Road.

St Werburgh's road acts as the interchange station for services between the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport forks of the line.