Originally it was the main intermediate station on the 85 mi 34 ch (137.5 km) Whanganui to Foxton railway.

[7] When the Halcombe – Marton Section completed the railway, linking the ports of Foxton and Whanganui, on Monday 20 May 1878, the mayor of Palmerston North declared a public holiday.

[8] William Nicholson's contract for a 5th class station started on 17 January 1877 and was completed on 14 April 1877[9] for £157.5s.

[9] In 1910, after the NIMT opened, the need for more office accommodation was noted and a veranda[13] and longer platform were requested,[14] but rejected.

[9] The line became part of the NIMT, when it fully opened in 1909, and Halcombe was one of the stopping points for Wellington to New Plymouth expresses in 1910[28] and in the 1940s.

[30] Halcombe had its annual returns of traffic recorded, as did Greatford to the north and Feilding to the south.

[31] Passenger numbers grew initially and during the World Wars, before tailing off towards 1950, as shown in the graph and table below.