[2] Opened in 1848 by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), it is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton.

The station used to have a small goods yard which served local freight trains around Portsmouth.

Great Western Railway services between Cardiff and Portsmouth pass through without stopping after 8pm.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[3] The station is also served by a single daily service from London Waterloo to Southampton Central via Guildford, which runs directly to Cosham from Bedhampton.

Westward, the line through Cosham leads to Portchester and Fareham, eastward to a junction (part of the local "Railway Triangle") between lines leading south to Hilsea and Portsmouth and east to Bedhampton and Havant.