The station was built by expanding the local train station and was opened as "Chorley Wood" in July 1889. The name was changed to "Chorley Wood &
Chenies" in November 1915 until 1934 when it reverted to the original name until 1965. The present name has existed since then. Chorleywood station was formerly served by steam-hauled Metropolitan line trains from Aylesbury to London, with a changeover to an electric locomotive at Rickmansworth. Steam trains were withdrawn in 1961 when electrification north of Rickmansworth to Amersham and Chesham was completed. From the early 1960s to 2012, Metropolitan line trains at Chorleywood were formed of
London Underground A60 Stock (and the almost identical A62 Stock), but were replaced by
London Underground S8 stock.
Chiltern Railways (Aylesbury-Marylebone) trains are formed by
Class 165 diesel multiple units. Between October 2004 and December 2011 almost all southbound Metropolitan line trains from Chorleywood into London were fast trains to Baker Street, calling at , , , , and . Since December 2011 only a few morning peak hour Metropolitan line trains have been operated as fast trains, at other times the trains mostly call at all stations, adding over 10 minutes to journey times. The journey to central London takes around 35–50 minutes depending on the line and time of day. Northbound Metropolitan line trains call at all stations to or . ==Station layout==