[3] Arncliffe station opened on 15 October 1884 on the same date as the Illawarra line from Redfern to Hurstville with two side platforms.

A 60-metre tunnel length existed to the south of the station, but was opened out and a bridge to carry Forest Road built in 1923.

[5][6] A new larger timber overhead booking office was constructed in 1925, and the line through the station to Hurstville was electrified in 1926.

[8] In May 2015, work commenced on the construction of a pedestrian tunnel below the Illawarra line 300 metres north of the station.

Arncliffe Railway Station is accessed via a footbridge and stairs, entered from Firth St on the west and via a footpath across a public park from Butterworth Lane on the east side.

The main gable ends have timber louvred vents with stucco sills and heads.

There is one original timber 4 panel door on the west (Platform 1)>side of the building, complete with fanlights and sidelights.

[3] The northern end pavilion (former toilets) is attached to the main part of the building via a brick walled courtyard.

There are 3 small timber-framed windows to east and west elevations, and a brick screen to the doorway at the northern end.

[3] The main (northern) section of the platform building is painted brick with a corrugated steel gabled roof, with one chimney to the north end.

The footbridge consists of two steel beam structures over the Illawarra line, one for street access the other for platform interchange.

The booking office has a hipped and gabled corrugated steel roof, and original timber framed double hung windows with 9-paned top sashes with multicoloured glazing.

The Arncliffe Railway Station 1919 steel footbridge and stairs, the 1923 overhead booking office, and the concrete and brick road overbridge are considered to be good representative examples of their types.

[3] Arncliffe railway station was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

[3] The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales.

[3] The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

[3] The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

[3] The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales.

The Arncliffe Railway Station 1919 steel footbridge and stairs, and the 1923 overhead booking office are considered to be good representative examples of their types.

[3] This Wikipedia article contains material from Arncliffe Railway Station Group, entry number 01076 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.