The station opened with the line from Wellington in February 1876, and was substantially rebuilt in 1955 with electrification to Upper Hutt.

Overnight storage of electric multiple units is provided in fenced sidings adjacent to the station.

[3][4] Construction of the Wairarapa Line to Upper Hutt was covered by the River Contract, which was let to contractor Charles McKirdy.

Severe flooding at the end of January caused the road between Upper Hutt and Taita to become blocked and damaged, and so to minimise the impact caused by delays to road traffic, the Upper Hutt station was opened on 1 February, despite the concerns of the Public Works Department that the move was premature.

By 1921, increased traffic was causing operational issues, and it was decided to install new automatic signalling which had been recently developed in the United States.

All locomotive hauled passenger trains between Wellington and Upper Hutt were replaced with electric multiple units from 24 July 1955.

[6] The ticket office and staff facilities moved to portable buildings on 11 May 2015, coinciding with the completion of the platform work.

The basic daytime off-peak timetable is: The basic morning peak timetable is: Metlink bus routes 110 (Petone to Emerald Hill), 111 (to Totara Park), 113 (to Riverstone Terraces), 112 (to Te Mārua), 114 (to Trentham via Poets Block) and 115 (to Pinehaven) serve Upper Hutt station.