[7] On December 25, 1848 the first train steamed through New Rochelle, part of the New York and New Haven Railroad built in the early 1840s.

[8][page needed] The 1½ story station is built of brick and has a gabled roof punctuated by a series of hipped dormers.

A roundhouse for steam engines, tracks for passenger cars and a large freightyard near Cedar Street was built.

The city obtained national fame in 1906 when George M. Cohan wrote the song entitled "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway".

The average 36-minute train ride and 10-minute walk from Grand Central to Broadway places the station about 45 minutes away.

[11] The station was fully renovated in 1990, and careful attention was placed on restoring it to its original historical accuracy.

[12][page needed] During 2021, a limited number of Acela trains stopped at New Rochelle station on weekends.

[13] An increase in Metro-North and Amtrak ridership late in the 20th century caused a demand for additional parking.

In 1994, the city launched a plan to create a transportation center, including a parking structure with bus and taxi connections.