It is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway, although only CrossCountry services call at this station.

In 1881, an increase in passengers and goods using the railway led to the old station being demolished and a temporary island platform constructed.

A new station was constructed 150 yards further south and separated from the roadway on the bridge by iron palisading.

The station was designed by the company architect John Holloway Sanders and erected by Messrs Cox of Leicester.

[3] In late 2019, the forecourt in front of the station was redeveloped to add a new taxi rank and bus departure bays.

With the arrival of diesel locomotives, [citation needed] a reorganisation of motive power districts in the London Midland Region took place in September 1963.

Long-distance inter-city services, between the north-east and south-west, call here approximately once per hour or once every two hours each direction; these operate northbound towards Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Leeds, Newcastle or York and southbound to Bristol Temple Meads, Penzance or Plymouth.

[19] Services had originally been withdrawn in 1964 due to the Beeching Axe, though the line is still open for freight traffic.

[20] In June 2019, the Derby Telegraph published an article showing support for the reopening of the South Staffordshire Line for trams.

The station, the railway sheds and the town's popular trainspotting locations feature significantly in the autobiographical book, Platform Souls by local author Nicholas Whittaker.