Golant railway station was opened on 1 July 1896 by the Great Western Railway. It was a simple platform on the waterside at the south end of Golant village, next to a level crossing that gave access to a slipway. It was the only intermediate station between Lostwithiel and Fowey. The line had been built by the Lostwithiel and Fowey Railway but had fallen into disuse until reopened by the Cornwall Minerals Railway which was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway on the same day that Golant was opened.