Built as a halt known as Attenborough Gate in 1856 on the Midland Counties Railway line from Nottingham to Derby which had opened in 1839, the station opened next to a level crossing and tickets were bought from the crossing keeper. The station on the present site was built by the Midland Railway and opened on 1 September 1864; the Gate suffix was dropped and the name became Attenborough. Becoming part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923, the station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. During World War I the station had its platforms extended as it was used as an interchange for soldiers and workers heading for National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 at Chilwell. In April 1937 the station was renamed Chilwell. However, this did not go down well with Attenborough locals who raised a petition which 235 local people signed. This resulted in a decision by the LMS to revert the name to Attenborough. The signal box survived until at least 1982 but is now demolished. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the Privatisation of British Railways. It is an unstaffed station, having lost its station buildings and staff in the early 1990s. Following a rebuild of the platforms in 2005 the station has no architectural remains from any earlier station except parts of the footbridge. The footbridge was replaced in 2007, receiving a new steel deck and stairways. The blue brick towers, which support the bridge, were retained.
Services
An hourly service is provided throughout the day by East Midlands Railway' Matlock to Nottingham service. Most of these now run through to & from since the December 2014 timetable change. Additional services run at peak times, including some operated byCrossCountry. On Sundays the service is also hourly, although only between Nottingham and Derby. East Midlands Railway Mainline services from Leeds, Sheffield and London run through at high speed, but do not stop. Interchange with Mainline services can be made at Derby and Nottingham.
