The station is a stop on the South West Main Line between London Waterloo and Weymouth.

It is located 104 miles 28 chains (167.9 km) down the line from Waterloo, with services currently operated by South Western Railway The original Christchurch station was opened on 13 November 1862 by the Ringwood, Christchurch and Bournemouth Railway; it was sited to the east of Fairmile Road.

Becoming part of the London and South Western Railway, it gained a presence on the South West Main Line.

[2] The main line was electrified in 1967, when faster and more frequent services were introduced.

As well as serving the town of Christchurch, the station is useful for reaching eastern parts of Bournemouth Road access to the station is from two directions: All passenger trains serving this station are operated by South Western Railway, which provides the following off-peak services in both directions:[3] Trains are usually formed by Class 444 Desiro electric multiple units.