Reddish South was opened by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) when the line between Stockport and Guide Bridge was completed on 1 August 1849.

In September 2006, open-access operator Grand Central proposed to run services from Bradford Interchange via Huddersfield and the West Coast Main Line to London Euston.

[2] However, the proposal was dropped after Virgin Trains cited its protection clause preventing any other operators from using the West Coast Main Line.

[3] In May 2007, Network Rail proposed in its North West Route Utilisation Strategy that both Reddish South and Denton stations should be closed while the line remain open for freight and diverted passenger workings.

[4] Between April 2013 and March 2014, Reddish South was the third-least-used station in Great Britain, after Teesside Airport and Shippea Hill, with only 26 recorded passengers.

[5] In 2015, passenger figures from the Office for Rail and Road showed that Reddish South had become Britain's fourth-quietest railway station.