The station serves NSW TrainLink trains travelling south to Port Kembla and north to Wollongong and Sydney.

The railway from the main South Coast line to the new port was completed in July 1916, and a single-platform station followed at Cringila six years later.

[2] Australia's entry into World War II dramatically increased its demand for steel, and the Port Kembla branch line was duplicated in 1940.

The station footbridge was extended in 1958 to provide a direct connection to the adjacent BHP (now BlueScope) steelworks.

[7] Premier Illawarra operates three bus routes via Cringila station, under contract to Transport for NSW: