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The station was once part of the Caledonian Railway and later, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. It was originally opened by the Caledonian in September 1849, as the terminus of their branch line from Newton and was originally known simply as Hamilton. The branch was then extended to Motherwell and also to Ferniegair (to join existing routes southwards to Strathaven & Coalburn) in December 1876 - a new Hamilton Central station serving the town was opened on this route at the same time, with the former terminus renamed Hamilton West and rebuilt for through traffic.

Services south of Haughhead Junction to Larkhall & Coalburn ended in October 1965 due to the Beeching Axe, but the line as far as Larkhall was reopened in 2005. The Hamilton Circle line was electrified by British Rail in 1974, as part of the wider scheme to electrify the northern end of the West Coast Main Line.

Between 18 May and 29 August 2025, platform 2 at the station was closed and rebuilt with improved surfacing and drainage, as well as tactile paving.

Facilities

Both platforms can be accessed via the footbridge at the Clydesdale Street entrance with disabled access available on platform 2 using a ramp which can also be accessed from Clydesdale Street by continuing past the main station entrance and following the footpath on the left, beside the adjacent bus stop.

A ticket office is staffed between 06:20 and 20:04 Monday-Saturday alongside a self-service ticket machine within the shelter beside the ticket office on platform 1. There are no ticketing facilities on platform 2 although both platforms have two ScotRail Smartcard validators each.

Accessible toilets are available on platform 1, next to the ticket office, and can be unlocked on request by asking staff in the ticket office. Sheltered seating is provided on platform 1 in both the ticket office and the same shelter that houses the self-service ticket machine whilst open-air seating is available on platform 2.

The station has a dedicated 191-space car park with 2 disabled parking spaces. The station also has 16 bicycle storage locations in the form of lockers and stands.