The first purpose-built high speed rail station in the United States,[2] it is part of the system's Initial Construction Segment.

The station was closed on May 1, 1971, as Amtrak assumed most intercity rail operations in the United States and the Central Valley was left out of the initial system.

[6] In July 2015, it was estimated that construction of the station building itself would commence in 2017 or 2018[7] and was expected to spur new development in Downtown Fresno.

[10] At the end of January 2017, demolition was begun on a former Greyhound bus terminal dating from the 1950s that occupied the site of the future high-speed rail station.

[7][11] In June 2023, the CHSRA received a $20 million federal grant for restoration of the station building and construction of a plaza.