Fareham station was first opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1841, on the line from Eastleigh to Gosport.

A 20 mph speed limit protects the area surrounding the station, mainly due to the sharp curve on the Portsmouth side.

The original line, now singled through Fareham Tunnel, to Eastleigh and London, is dead straight, as is the former Gosport route which closed to passengers in 1953.

The line formerly saw freight services to a Royal Navy ordnance factory at Bedenham up unto March 1991 but, after closure, the track was removed.

[3] There was also a line to Alton via the Meon Valley, which opened in 1903; it branched from the Eastleigh route at Knowle, north of the tunnel.