[2][3] The platforms have three canopies that resemble hop kilns, reflecting Sumner's agricultural history, and act as waiting rooms for passengers.

An overflow lot at a former Red Apple grocery store is located three blocks east of the station on Academy Street, requiring a paid reservation during weekdays.

[1] Sumner mayor George Ryan built the city's first train station in 1883, shortly after the completion of the Puget Sound Shore Railroad, a branch of the Northern Pacific Railway between Tacoma and Seattle.

[4][11] Proposals for a modern commuter rail system between Seattle and Tacoma date back to the 1980s and included a potential stop in Sumner using either the Burlington Northern (later BNSF) or Union Pacific railroads.

[19] The Narrow Street site was formally adopted as the preferred alternative in early 1998 and a contract to design the station was awarded to Tacoma-based architecture firm Merritt Pardini.

[20][21] The station's depot, reflecting the area's historical hops industry, was originally slated to be scaled back due to rising project costs, but protests from Sumner residents prompted Sound Transit to fund its construction separately.

[22][23] Design work on the station was completed in July 1999 and the $3.9 million construction contract was awarded to Lumpkin General Contractor in September.

[39][40] The 400-stall parking garage on the south side of the station was approved in 2014 alongside improvements to nearby sidewalks and a pedestrian overpass connecting the two platforms.

[45][46] During construction, approximately 190 stalls will be closed and a city-run shuttle service is planned to run to offset the loss of parking capacity.