It is 8¾ miles (14 km) north of Manchester Victoria on the Caldervale Line operated and managed by Northern.

From 4 June 2018, apart from a handful of peak hour/later evening and Sunday services, the basic pattern is for trains to start at Rochdale then stop at all stations including Castleton to Manchester Victoria, and continue via Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Bolton and Darwen to Blackburn, with alternate trains continuing through to Clitheroe.

On Sundays, the service pattern is hourly between Manchester Victoria - Castleton - Rochdale - Todmorden - Burnley - Accrington and Blackburn.

[3] The western portion of this line was retained for freight traffic after passenger trains ceased (serving the coal depot at Rawtenstall until 1980, and subsequently to the Powell Duffryn wagon works) and it now forms the link with the East Lancashire Railway heritage route at Heywood.

[4] The heritage line plans to extend its services along and towards a possible new bay platform adjacent to the main station in the future,[5] subject to permission being granted by Network Rail.