The valley of the River Wandle was heavily industrialised in the eighteenth century—the most industrialised in the south of England—and to convey minerals and agricultural products the Surrey Iron Railway was built, opening in 1803; it was a horse-drawn plateway in which the rails were L-shaped in cross-section, guiding ordinary wagon wheels.

[3][4] Initially, it was operated under contract by its engineer George Parker Bidder, but in 1856 it was leased to the LB&SCR, which purchased it outright in 1866.

This gradually increased over the years, with some trains extended from Croydon to Crystal Palace Low Level in the steam era.

[4] Push and pull working of passenger trains started in 1919, and the line was electrified on the third rail system on 6 July 1930.

Upon the privatisation of British Rail, during the last year of the line being part of the Railtrack network passenger services were operated by Connex South Central.

The last public train ran on 31 May 1997 and the line closed on 2 June 1997 for most of it to be converted into the Croydon Tramlink network.

[5] To become part of the Tramlink network the section of the line from just south of Waddon Marsh to West Croydon was removed.

The station had its own approach road from the Broadway, and was managed independently, with a goods yard at the north-eastern end.

Mitchell and Smith say that "A claim has been made for Mitcham as being the oldest continuously working station site in the world, the Surrey Iron Railway having been in use here from 1803."

A little west of the station, a thoroughfare called Tramway Path turns southwards; this marks the alignment of the Surrey Iron Railway's Hackbridge branch.