Dating back to 1855, the former Harleston Station on the Waveney Valley Line, was authorised by the Waveney Valley Railway Act on 3 July 1851. The line opened in stages, firstly from Tivetshall to Harleston on 1 December 1855, then to Bungay on 2 November 1860, and finally to Beccles. When the line was completed it was incorporated into the Great Eastern Railway.
The line then became part of the LNER on 1 January 1923.

The line ran regular passenger and freight services daily, except for Sundays. This was a condition placed on the railway by landowners in the Starston area of Norfolk who had to give their consent before the line could be built.

During World War I however, troop trains were known to operate each day. By October 1915, trains had reached their peak of 8 trains per day, but the demands of World War I reduced this to 6 trains per day in 1917. During world war two there was a large increase in traffic, this was due to the airfields and military establishments built along the line.
By 1953, when passenger services closed, services had remained unchanged for 36 years. The Bungay to Harleston section of the route now forms part of the main A143 road and was opened on 9 November 1983. Other sections of the route are now tracks and footpaths.