Rotherham Central was opened on 11th May 1987, ending a spell of 20 years where the town was poorly served by rail.  During this time, the nearest station, Rotherham Masbrough, was ½ mile from the town centre.

The old Rotherham Central station was closed in 1967, when the then Minister of Transport Barbara Castle claimed that the concentration of all services at Rotherham Masbrough would be to the benefit of rail passengers.  It quickly became apparent that the wrong station had been closed, and South Yorkshire PTE made it a priority to re-open a station which was more central to the town.