Iron Acton station opened on 2 September 1872, with the start of services on the Midland Railway branch from Yate to Thornbury.

The station was designed by the Midland Railway company architect John Holloway Sanders.

A freight-only branch serving an iron mine in Frampton Cotterell connected at the station.

This closed in 1872 and a truncated section of this route served as a coal depot until closure on 10 June 1963.

In mid 2013, the line beyond Yate Middle Jn was placed 'Out of Use', due to the mothballing of the quarry at Tytherington.