The line through Greenfield was constructed by the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway, which was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway on 9 July 1847 before any of it was opened. The section between and was opened on 1 August 1849, and the station at Greenfield was opened the same day. On 1 September 1851, the branch to opened, which left the main line at Delph Junction, about a mile to the north of Greenfield; Greenfield was the last station before the junction until opened in 1912. A second branch, to Oldham, opened on 5 July 1856; it left the main line just to the south of Greenfield. Passenger services on the Delph & Oldham branches were withdrawn in May 1955, with complete closure following in 1964. A defunct bay can still be seen at the Stalybridge end of the station. This was used by some trains from the Oldham direction. For many years the station had a peak only service. The Beeching Report proposed closure of all stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield. In 1968 half these stations were closed including Diggle and Saddleworth, leaving only Greenfield to serve the Saddleworth area. This means that Greenfield is Saddleworth's only remaining railway station.
Facilities
Planning permission for the refurbishment of Greenfield railway station was granted in early 2008. This was to provide a new ticket office, refurbished waiting areas, toilets, and possibly a small shop, and was due to be completed in the Winter of 2008. After some problems with planning regulations and the original building contractor going into administration, the new facilities were finally completed in Spring 2009. The ticket office is staffed on a part-time basis and there is also a ticket vending machine available. Step-free access is limited to the Manchester-bound platform only, as the Huddersfield-bound one can only be reached by footbridge.
Services
Since the May 2018 timetable change, TransPennine Express provide the regular stopping service here. There are also no direct trains to Manchester Victoria, so passengers wishing to travel there must change at. Other TPE services pass through without stopping. The station is also handy for the nearby reservoirs of Dovestones, and Chew as well as the whole of Chew Valley in the Peak District National Park. Since the closure of the Oldham Loop Line in 2009, Greenfield is now the only remaining railway station within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.
