The station was opened in 1839 by the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway. Due to the proximity of Repton School it was renamed Repton & Willington in 1855. The station had goods facilities though goods services stopped in 1964. The station was closed completely in 1968.
A new station opened in 1994. The station is served by Cross Country Trains only (though managed by East Midlands Trains). There is usually a two hourly service in each direction with hourly trains in the early morning and less frequent trains in the evening. There are no Sunday services. The station is unstaffed with basic bus shelter facilities. The station is on an embankment.
Nearby was Willington Power Station, a coal powered station with a rail link delivering coal. The station was decommissioned in 1999 though the cooling towers are still visible from the railway line.
