The station was opened in 1865,[1] as the terminus of a branch line from Knighton by the Central Wales Railway which was absorbed by the LNWR soon after completion.

Construction of the Central Wales Extension Railway (another LNWR-backed project) southwards towards Llandovery started soon after and upon completion of this line in 1868 placed the town on a through route between Craven Arms and Swansea.

The line through the station was singled as an economy measure in the 1960s, although a passing loop was left a short distance to the north, near the town's level crossing.

However, the loop was relocated to the station in 1986 by British Rail as part of the signalling modernisation scheme that centralised control at Pantyffynnon.

Digital display screens, customer help points and timetable poster boards are provided on both platforms, which are linked by an accessible ramped footbridge.