It is the most important station of the region and is owned by the Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Italy's state-owned railway company.

The original structure, built in similar style to that of Bologna Centrale, had been heavily damaged during the Second World War and was rebuilt a few years after that.

The station is a principal stop on the Adriatic Railway which runs along the east coast of Italy.

As a principal station, most long-distance trains – high-speed (Freccia, formerly branded Eurostar Italy) and Intercity (day and overnight) – call at Ancona.

Additional high-speed trains operated by NTV-Italo run between Milan and Ancona during the summer months.