Metropark was one of two park-and-ride infill stations proposed in the 1960s for use by the new Metroliners, the other being Capital Beltway in Lanham, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.

Under a plan put forward in late 1968 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) the state would contribute $648,000 toward the cost of the station, then estimated at $1.4 million.

[1] The station's cost had increased to $2.6 million, shared by NJDOT and the United States Department of Transportation.

[13] After his 1981 conviction for bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal, local officials campaigned to have his name removed from the station, though it remained until at least 1984.

[13][14][15][16] Northbound on- and off-ramps were added to the Garden State Parkway at Exit 131A in November 1986 to improve station access.

Pairs of 45-mph crossovers (interlockings MENLO and ISELIN) just east and west of the station were added about 1986 to make this easier.