Richmond was, at the time, the second largest town in the district, and accordingly received a station befitting its status.
This included the construction of the Richmond railway station, which was opened along with the first completed section from Nelson to Foxhill on 29 January 1876.
With improvements to the local highways, traffic through Richmond station was gradually lost to the roads, and in 1924 the porter was transferred and never replaced.
Some of the traffic specific to Richmond included the Army Volunteers who held Easter camps on land near the station from soon after the railway opened, and patrons for Richmond Park, which was established by the Nelson Jockey Club in 1884.
As Richmond Park was near the station, it attracted large crowds, most of whom travelled there by train, and only had a short distance to walk to the racecourse.