The station was opened on 22 September 1834, the same day that the line between Leeds Marsh Lane and Selby was inaugurated.

[4] In 1894, the Railway Clearing House Handbook listed Hambleton as dealing in passengers, general goods and livestock with no indication of a steam crane.

In 1904, the same updated publication also mentioned the addition of horse boxes and a steam crane with the capability of lifting 1.5 tonnes (1.7 tons).

[5][6][7] The station was closed to passengers on 14 September 1959, and then to goods on 7 September 1964, though the site was used for passengers briefly in March 1975, and again in July 1980 when Selby station was undergoing a refurbishment or was closed.

[12] In 1866, the station was served by three passenger trains per day each way, with an extra stop on Mondays for the Selby market traffic.