The name of the station is taken from its situation within the Mumps area of Oldham, which itself probably derived from the archaic word "mumper", slang for a beggar.

[2] The station was reached across the dual-carriageway Oldham bypass, a difficult walk from the town centre.

In June 2010, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) announced that as part of the conversion of the former Oldham loop, it would submit a planning application for a temporary Metrolink terminus at Oldham Mumps, close to the site of the former railway station.

Services to the temporary terminus commenced on Wednesday 13 June 2012[5] The temporary Metrolink stop was reached by crossing Oldham Way or could be accessed by the free Metroshuttle service, which linked the station with the town centre and bus station.

The permanent Metrolink station opened on 27 January 2014[7] on the site of the former B&Q store and is also a bus interchange.