The station was opened by the Taff Vale Railway (TVR) on 4 February 1861.

[1] The TVR amalgamated with the Great Western Railway at the start of 1922, and the GWR renamed the station Ystrad (Rhondda) in December 1930.

Monday-Saturday, there is a half-hourly service to Cardiff Central southbound and to Treherbert northbound.

[3] On 20 July 2018, previous franchise operator Arriva Trains Wales announced a trial period of extra Sunday services on the Rhondda Line to Cardiff and Barry Island.

[4] The service from this station is currently (summer 2023) suspended, due to major route upgrade work being carried out at multiple locations as part of the Valley Lines electrification scheme.