This line replaced the Midland Railway's previous route, the 'old road', to London, which ran from Sheffield Wicker via Rotherham.

Wartime damage put the roofs beyond economic repair; hence, they were removed in the autumn of 1956 and replaced by low-level awnings.

British Rail introduced the High Speed Train (HST) to Sheffield on the Midland Main Line in 1984.

The stone façade of the station was sandblasted and its archways filled with unobstructed windows to improve views both from inside and out.

[10] To coincide with the regeneration of the station, Sheaf Square was rebuilt as part of a project designed to create the Gateway to Sheffield.

[14] The bar has a restored early 20th century interior and offers a selection of quality cask ales and beers from around the world.

Sheffield received renovated waiting rooms, toilet facilities and upgraded security systems amongst its improvements.

[17] The lounge was opened by the Master Cutler Professor Bill Speirs who was joined by 50 top business leaders from Sheffield and the surrounding area.

On 6 May 2009, East Midlands Trains implemented its proposal, using temporary barriers and ticket inspectors to bar access to the footbridge to non-ticket holders, and local residents and Supertram passengers were forced to use longer routes around the station.

[19] In November 2009, East Midlands Trains were refused planning permission for the barriers by the council,[20] but in February 2010 announced it would apply again.

[21] Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced in April 2010 that barriers would not be installed until a second bridge was built to maintain a thoroughfare for non-ticket holders.

[23] At the same time, Sheffield City Council explored the possibility of turning the bridge into a public right-of-way to resolve the matter.

In late 2010, it was reported that the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, MP for Sheffield Hallam, might intervene to resolve the impasse.

[24] In March 2012, Transport Minister Justine Greening offered £3 million to build a new footbridge to resolve the problem.

[26] Ian Yeowart, former managing director of Grand Central, put forward in 2009 a bid for new open access Alliance Rail Holdings services operating on the East Coast Main Line.

However, in 2010 these proposed Sheffield to London Kings Cross services via the East Coast Main Line were rejected.

A National Audit Office report said: "In the case of Midland Main Line, bi-mode trains with the required speed and acceleration did not exist when the Secretary of State made his decision."

The MP for Loughborough (another area to have been served by the proposed electrification scheme) and Chair of the Treasury Select Committee, Nicky Morgan said of the revised plans, "Now we see the decision to cancel it was based on fantasy trains that didn't even exist and the Midlands being a guinea pig for an untested technology".

[37] As part of the HS2 plans, a new platform would need to be constructed which would provide additional capacity for HS2, which approved the new route via Sheffield in July 2017.

The stop also serves the City Campus of Sheffield Hallam University and the Park Hill estate above the railway station.

The stop opened on 22 August 1994, and originally had three platforms – two on the northbound (inbound to the city centre) track, to allow for terminating Purple Route services prior to their extension to Cathedral in the city centre – and was connected to platform 6 of the main station by a simple staircase.

In line with the refurbishment of the rest of the station in the early 2000s, the tram stop was rebuilt in 2002 around 150 metres (500 ft) to the south of the existing platforms.