Even this had not been Aberdeen's first railway station, that distinction belonging to a previous terminus a short way south at Ferryhill.

[6] Prior to the construction of the Joint Station, lines from the north had terminated at Aberdeen Waterloo, a short but inconvenient distance along the edge of the harbour.

[8] This rationalisation process saw the removal of all of the north end bay platforms to allow for redevelopment of that part of the site.

Other improvements included a new Travel Centre opened in 1978 and under British Rail's regional brand ScotRail, a major station renovation was completed in the 1980s.

[4] Plans to relocate the ticket office and passenger waiting room, as well as upgrades to the taxi rank and concourse, were approved by Aberdeen City Council in December 2018, with work due to start in spring 2019.

[15] As of early 2019, the station's glass roof is undergoing replacement with polycarbonate panels as part of a £9 million upgrade.

[16] In June 2020, ScotRail announced that it would proceed with the modifications to the ticket office, waiting room, and taxi rank as soon as it was safe to do so following the coronavirus pandemic.

[19] The North Corner Pavilion Building, which had fallen into disrepair, was restored as part of the station redevelopment in December 2021.

Four new customer information screens were installed as part of renovation works, along with improvements to staff accommodation.

The redevelopment was funded by the Scottish Government, ScotRail, Network Rail, the Railway Heritage Trust, and Serco[22] There is a staffed travel centre providing ticket office and information facilities (e.g. timetables).

Luggage trolleys are provided for travellers with baggage and a left-luggage facility is available with access from the front forecourt of the station.

[23] A waiting room is available on the main concourse, as is a branch of WHSmith selling books, magazines, stationery and confectionery.

A wide range of other shopping and eating facilities are located in the Union Square complex which can be accessed directly through the concourse and is integrated with the station building.