The original station, designed by Francis Thompson, was opened by the North Midland Railway between Derby and Leeds, and named simply 'Masbrough', without the 'o', since Rotherham had not yet grown to surround the village.

The station was renamed 'Masbrough & Rotherham' in 1896, 'Rotherham Masborough' in 1908 (misspelt by the railway company: the name of the district has always been 'Masbrough'), then simply 'Rotherham' in 1969.

In time, it became part of the main line to London St Pancras and the South West.

Other ex-London expresses would slip a coach at Rotherham until this practice was discontinued nationally from the 1930s onwards.

Rotherham Masborough regained its suffix in the timetables (though not on the station signboards) and soldiered on for a few years with Sheffield-York trains stopping until eventual closure on 3 October 1988.