Prior to SkyTrain's opening, the station served as the western terminus of a short 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) demonstration track during the summer of 1983.

One of the few to remain was the nearby geodesic dome, known during the fair as "Expo Centre", and now one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.

As part of a plan to upgrade high-traffic stations along the Expo Line, and to enable the addition of fare gates to the station in conjunction with the broader system-wide Compass smartcard initiative, construction began on a major refurbishment of Main Street–Science World in early 2013.

[2] In 2014, due to ongoing construction, the platform length was shortened, preventing four- and six-car trains from stopping at the station.

[6] Construction work on the west stationhouse was completed on February 5, 2016, and resulted in improved accessibility, passenger safety, and lighting, along with the addition of fare gates months after they had launched at most other stations in the system.