The station and the line was poorly used despite new houses being built in the area as passengers preferred to use other stations near-by (Sydenham Hill, Crystal Palace (Lower Level) and Sydenham) which were on more direct routes.

During the Second World War the branch line suffered damage from enemy action.

After the war the cost of repairing the war damage with declining receipts led to the decision to close the line to close on 20 September 1954, the first permanent closure of a Southern Electric line.

Today all that remains of Upper Sydenham Station is the booking office and station house, which is now a private residence on Wells Park Road, the railway tunnel which is now blocked off but intact and a few muddy hints of where the line and platform once ran.

The station's location sits in Hillcrest Woods, providing a popular local footpath.