The station was opened on 22 August 1848 by the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway, as part of its line from Richmond to . The line was further extended from Datchet to on 1 December 1849, by which time the Windsor, Staines and South Western Railway had become part of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). The junction at Staines, together with the line to was authorised in 1853 and built by the Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway, opening as far as on 4 June 1856 and onwards to Wokingham on 9 July 1856. From the outset, the line was leased to, and operated by, the LSWR, who purchased it outright in 1878. From Wokingham, LSWR trains continued to using running powers over the South Eastern Railway (SER).