Boar's Head railway station served the southern part of the village of Standish.

[4] The Lancashire Union Railway route between Wigan and Blackburn via Chorley was authorised on 25 July 1864; it opened on 1 November 1869 for goods trains, and one month later, on 1 December, passenger services began.

The LUR diverged from the NUR to the south of Boar's Head station, where additional platforms were provided for this route.

Trains on the section between Wigan and Chorley, via Boar's Head, were operated by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).

[5] The section of the NUR between Parkside and Euxton Junction, which included Boar's Head station, was transferred to the LNWR on 26 July 1889.