It is close to the Snowdonia National Park and Bangor University, and has an interchange with bus services to the various towns and villages of north-west Gwynedd and Anglesey.

Between 1924 and 1927 an additional loop line and platform were constructed on the site of the forecourt with a new frontage facing Deiniol Road, which is still in use as the station booking office.

In November 2009 the Welsh Assembly Government asked Network Rail to conduct a feasibility study on reopening the line between Llangefni on Anglesey and Bangor for passenger services.

The main lines pass between the two operational platforms, and are used for passing empty stock movements, for terminated trains to lay-over awaiting their next working, and freight services, particularly the carriage of nuclear fuel flasks to and from Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey.

Diverging from the down main line, also at the western end of the station, are four sidings; two adjacent to the most southerly platform island, and the other two enclosed within the nearby Network Rail engineering compound.

Bangor signal box, which can be found at the western end of the up-direction platform, is lever-operated and controls the signals, points and user-worked level crossings as far as Abergwyngregyn to the east of Bangor, and Llanfairpwll to the west, including the single line crossing the Britannia Bridge between the Welsh mainland and Anglesey.

The platform building houses rail staff offices, passenger toilets and a waiting room, a café, and a British Transport Police station.

Each platform is equipped with an electronic departure screen, and manual announcements are made over a public address system.

[12] There is a basic hourly service eastbound towards Wrexham General and Shrewsbury via Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Flint and Chester, with alternate services extended to Birmingham International and Cardiff Central during the daytime, as well as westbound across Anglesey to Holyhead.

All Avanti West Coast services are operated by Class 221 Super Voyager diesel-electric multiple unit trains.

All Transport for Wales services serving Bangor by this time are expected to be operated by new CAF Civity diesel multiple-unit trains,[17] except the Holyhead-Cardiff Premier Service which is expected to be operated by refurbished Mark IV coaches inherited from LNER, hauled by Class 67 locomotives.