The station is 9¾ miles (16 km) south of Manchester Piccadilly on the Stafford to Manchester Line and was opened in 1845 by the London and North Western Railway.

Train running information is provided by CIS displays on both platforms.

There is a daily hourly Northern Trains service northbound to Manchester Piccadilly and southbound to Stoke-on-Trent with additional services at peak times.

A number of late evening services start/terminate at Macclesfield.

[1] The Sunday service from the station is limited, with just six trains each way.