The station is 80 miles 9 chains (128.9 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street; it is situated between Needham Market to the south and Diss to the north.

The station was opened by the Ipswich & Bury Railway in 1846, with red brick main buildings in a flamboyant Jacobean manner by Frederick Barnes.

The railway employed George Stephenson's solution for the Chat Moss bog (a mere 40 feet deep); a raft of brushwood and faggots were used to give the embankment a firm footing.

[1] On 26 November 1846, the first test train ran to Bury St Edmunds with stops at most stations on the route, accompanied by the inevitable lavish celebrations.

The March 1850 Bradshaw's Guide saw Eastern Union Railway (EUR) services to Stowmarket shown on page 33.

The EUR was in financial trouble and effectively hemmed in by the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) making further expansion difficult.

Following negotiations in 1853, the ECR took over the working of the EUR (and thus Stowmarket station) on 1 January 1854; the situation was formally sanctioned by the Act of 7 August 1854.

During the mid-1920s, the LNER rebuilt the two track timber goods shed and a number of industrial concerns were built south of the station on the up side all of which were rail served.

[8] The September 1964 British Railways Eastern Region timetable saw three service groups regularly serving Stowmarket: In addition, there were a number of other (one off) cross-country trains including: The buildings, which were Grade II listed in 1972, were restored in 1987.

[12] Goods traffic lasted until the mid-1970s; the yard was shunted by a Norwich-based British Rail Class 03 shunter locomotive until January 1977.

There was also a very short-lived milk service that ran in the summer of 1981 which originated at Chard Junction in the West Country [14] The line through the station was electrified and resignalled by British Rail in 1985, using the 25 kV AC electric system.

Recessed linking blocks had retaining walls with taller central doorways enclosing forecourt, but this remains now only to south side.

Main outer blocks with cross casements, Dutch gables to all faces (north return of north block with twin shaped gables), and frontal (west) polygonal towers with doors at the bases and pierced parapets at the top.

Outbound goods traffic at Stowmarket was primarily agricultural in nature with coal being a major inward commodity.

[28] The Stowmarket Down Goods Loop is home to the East-Anglian Rail-Head-Treatment-Trains, operated by Direct Rail Services in the Autumn months.

Limited additional services to/from Liverpool Street start or terminate at Stowmarket during rush hour.