Bulwell station opened on 2 October 1848, with the opening of the Midland Railway's line from Nottingham to Mansfield. It was the first of several stations to serve Bulwell, including Bulwell Common, Bulwell Forest and Basford and Bulwell. On 11 August 1952 it was renamed Bulwell Market, in order to distinguish it from the other Bulwell stations. It was closed to passenger traffic, along with all the other stations on the line, in 1964, but the railway line itself was retained for goods traffic. In 1993, this line was reopened by British Rail to passenger traffic as part of the new Robin Hood Line, and, on 24 May 1994, the station reopened under its original name, the other Bulwell stations having closed in the meantime.