The station is situated on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network, close to the junction of the New Brighton and West Kirby branches.

Birkenhead North TMD, situated just to the west of the station, is the main traction maintenance depot for the Merseyrail fleet.

The station was built by the Wirral Railway, replacing their earlier terminus at Wallasey Bridge Road (a short distance away), which had opened in 1866.

[7] From 4 January 1971 until 2 October 1978,[8] the diesel service on the Bidston to Wrexham line, which had previously operated from New Brighton, was diverted to Birkenhead North.

Each platform has open-air seating and live departure and arrival screens, for passenger information.

There are 630 car parking spaces which are free to use for travellers, with lighting columns and CCTV to meet Merseytravel's Travelsafe requirements.