It is 30 miles 27 chains (48.8 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Sawbridgeworth and Stansted Mountfitchet stations.

[1] The station site included a large goods yard occupying the land now used for car parking as well as sidings running as far west as the riverside wharves of the Stort Navigation.

Bishop's Stortford was also a junction station for the cross-country route to Dunmow and Braintree, which opened to passengers on 22 February 1869 and closed on 3 March 1952.

[4] In 2014, the station underwent extensive modernisation; this resulted in the construction of a new ticket office, barrier line, retail outlets and a new platform canopy.

[5] The typical off-peak service is:[6] On Sundays, this is reduced to:[6] On weekdays, a small number of trains during the peak hours are extended beyond Cambridge to terminate at Ely.