The intermodal hub serves as a train station for Amtrak intercity rail and Metrolink commuter rail, as well as a bus station used by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART), Greyhound, Megabus, Flixbus and Tres Estrellas de Oro.

The Honda Center is across Katella Avenue on the north side of the site[1] and one of the three gates to Angel Stadium can be reached southwesterly through the Douglass Road underpass.

[18] It was planned from the start for ARTIC to act as part of a redevelopment of the surrounding area with transit oriented development.

In October 1986 a new standard design station was constructed about 600 feet (180 m) northwest to a site where Anaheim Stadium was just across the parking lot,[6] appropriately referred to as Anaheim–Stadium.

An average of 500 Metrolink and 400 Amtrak passengers boarded trains daily in the last year of operation of the previous Anaheim station.

On November 21, 2006, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved the sale and relocation of their operations to clear the site for the new complex.

[31] In July 2012, the city of Anaheim, which already owned 2.2 acres (0.89 ha) of the site, agreed to buy the balance of the property from OCTA for $32.5 million as they could not come to terms over a lease.

[32] A conflict between Metrolink and Amtrak over the platform's height so that it could be used by accessible passengers was one of the biggest issues that had to be resolved during the construction.

[40] The tubular steel-framed 67,880-square-foot (6,306 m2) building[41] has a compound curved shell that is covered with a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) roof system.

At night, the structure can be illuminated in any color with the 1,354 energy-efficient lights glowing through the air-filled plastic pillows which make up the arched roof.

The third level is a mezzanine with a small lobby and the concourse bridge for access to the stairs or elevators that take travelers down to the railroad tracks.

[4] The ETFE foil "pillows" maintain a cool temperature in the unconditioned space at the high elevations of the curtain wall when used in conjunction with glass louvers at both ends that open to allow natural air flow when needed.

[43] Twenty percent of the building's power was designed to be generated by solar panels on the parking structures and recycled materials were used in the construction.

"[41] Its shape has also been described as reminiscent to airship hangars, driving comparisons to the historically notable structures also located in Orange County.

[48][51] The project received a 2014 American Institute of Architects Technology in Architectural Practice Building Information Modeling Award.

[53][54] Additionally, the transit center's location in the middle of a vast area full of various parking lots has been criticized for being isolated.

During the first years, most of the funding has come from the 2 percent assessment from the resort area hotel guests collected by the Anaheim Tourism Improvement District.

Some additional funds have come from Measure M2 which is a half-cent countywide sales tax that helps pay for transportation improvements.

A naming-rights partner has not been obtained, so city officials will continue with those efforts since this was also supposed to be one of the main funding sources for operation and maintenance of the station.

[19] Initially, a typical weekday saw about 2,400 transit riders, increasing to 3,900 on days with concerts and/or sporting events at the nearby venues.

[20] Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center is served by 20 Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (ten in each direction) evenly spaced throughout the day.

[64] Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center is served by 26 Metrolink Orange County Line trains (13 in each direction) each weekday, evenly spaced throughout the day.