The station was opened by the Great Western Railway as an exchange station on 12 May 1845 with the line opening from Swindon to Gloucester. Only on 1 May 1882 did it become a public station replacing the nearby. The distance between the platforms and the large clearance between the remaining running lines is a legacy from when Kemble first opened because it originally accommodated Brunel's broad gauge tracks. These were changed to standard gauge tracks in 1892. Until the 1960s the station was a junction, with services to the nearby market towns of and . Both the Tetbury branch line and the Cirencester Branch Line were closed to traffic under The Reshaping of British Railways, the first day without service being 6 April 1964. British Rail reduced the line to Swindon to single track in 1968 but the second track was reinstated in 2014 .
Description
The station has two platforms in use. The former Tetbury bound platform remains but the track has been lifted. The building on the down platform has been out of use for several years, containing toilets and a waiting room, which are still in situ. On the former Cirencester platform, a short stub of track remains for the occasional stabling of track machines. This ends at a buffer stop just before the station car park. In 2013, Cotswold District Council refused an application by Network Rail to demolish part of the Grade II listed Cirencester bay platform in connection with the redoubling of the line from Swindon. According to the Council, the platform was still in a good state of repair and any public benefit from the demolition would not outweigh the damage that would be caused to the historical significance of the station. The station has a ticket office and a small café. The limestone bridge, at the south end of the station, was Grade II listed from 5 Nov 2015 and the station and water tank from 27 Feb 1986.
18 Swindon bound trains, 8 of which continue to London Paddington via Reading
18 Gloucester bound trains, 17 of which continue to Cheltenham Spa.
Making an off peak service of one train every two hours to London, with trains to Swindon, Cheltenham and Gloucester every hour. The station is occasionally served by Cardiff Central / services diverted during engineering works. On Sundays there are twelve trains each way, seven of which run to or from London.
