Constructed by the Herne Bay and Faversham Railway Company, the first station originally opened in 1861 as "Herne Bay and Hampton-on-Sea" as the terminus of a line from
Faversham; however, this station was a temporary one, located just west of where Greenhill Bridge is now situated. The line was extended to
Ramsgate on 5 October 1863, when the current station was brought into use. The line was worked by the
London, Chatham & Dover Railway which acquired the Herne Bay Company in 1871. On the station platform in 1879–1880, a
Hampton-on-Sea sign was added to the Herne Bay one in the expectation of the development of a new settlement next to what is now Hampton, but Hampton-on-Sea was drowned due to
coastal erosion by 1921. It is not recorded how long the sign survived. (See historic photo, right): The buildings on the Down platform are all that remain of the original station building, as the Up side was reconstructed by the
Southern Railway in 1926 as part of its plan to modernise the Thanet Lines. Goods facilities at the station were limited, consisting of two sidings on the Down side, a goods shed and two loading docks. In 1902 coal sidings were added to the Up side, followed by a private siding to the local gasworks. Electrification took place on 15 June 1959 and the old semaphore signals were replaced by colour-lights under
Southern Region. General goods traffic ceased on 16 October 1965, with coal deliveries continuing until 1968. Herne Bay Railway Station was also featured briefly in the British Sitcom ''
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'', in the episode "Have a break, take a Husband" which originally aired 8 March 1973. In October 2021, approval was given to construct a footbridge with lifts that will enable step-free access to both platforms. The new footbridge opened in April 2025. File:Herne Bay railway station platforms in 2009.jpg|Herne Bay as viewed from a train File:Herne Bay railway station with KCF 31461 May 1953.jpg|KCF 31461 northbound from Herne Bay station, 2 May 1953 ==Accidents and incidents==