The station was built by the Scottish Central Railway, opening on 1 March 1848. It is located on the main line from to Stirling and near to the triangular junction with the line to and Edinburgh Waverley. The SCR as first constructed linked the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway main line at Greenhill with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway, with branches subsequently constructed to on the E&GR (the "Stirlingshire Midland Junction Railway") in 1850 and to Denny in 1858. Both lines had triangular junctions with the main line, giving access from the south as well as from Larbert. The Denny branch was also linked into the Kilsyth and Bonnybridge Railway from 1882, providing an alternative route to Glasgow via Kirkintilloch and to via the Kelvin Valley Railway. The station also served as the interchange for the South Alloa branch of the SCR from its opening in 1853, which was subsequently linked to the Alloa Railway via and a swingbridge over the River Forth from 1885.