[3][4] The Canadian Pacific Railway brought the first passenger train service to the area in the 1880s, with the first permanent station built at Fraser Mills in 1910, on the branch line to New Westminster.

The train station opened in 1995, when the West Coast Express began operating, connecting Vancouver with Mission.

The West Coast Express platform is located on the south side of the CPR tracks, accessed via a pedestrian tunnel.

Coquitlam Central is served by five West Coast Express trains per weekday in each direction: five in the morning to Vancouver, and five in the evening to Mission.

The station is adjacent to a major bus exchange and park-and-ride facility, which is served by local and express buses and Community Shuttle minibuses.