It is 18 miles 16 chains (29.3 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Harold Wood and Shenfield.

As it is located at the bottom of a steep incline locomotives were allocated at Brentwood to assist trains get up the bank and by 1868 the turntable was enlarged.

[8] After the grouping of 1923 operation of the station passed to the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).

[9] Plans to electrify the line through Brentwood to Shenfield were announced during the 1930s but put on hold after World War II broke out.

The engine shed was closed in 1949 although the goods yard had a small petrol shunter that was maintained locally, being withdrawn in September 1956.

In 2010, National Express East Anglia, then the operating company for the line, commenced an improvement programme at the station, including the expansion of the entrance and ticket hall, refurbishment of waiting rooms and provision for the installation of customer lifts to the platforms.

[14] In May 2015, the Shenfield stopping service was taken over by TfL Rail, and subsequently became part of the Elizabeth line in May 2022.