The transportation center was formerly a Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) passenger station.

In 1881, the Peninsula Extension of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway brought the line east to the new city of Newport News.

As regular service was established, the main line was soon relocated slightly north.

Williamsburg's original station was replaced in 1907 with a brick structure, in conjunction with the tercentenary of Jamestown.

The station is served by two Amtrak trains a day in each direction, with direct service to Newport News, Richmond, and points along the Northeast Corridor from Washington DC through New York City to Boston.