The station is located 13 miles (20 km) west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern Trains services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton, Walkden and Hindley.

The station was built in 1987 by British Rail to serve the Hag Fold estate in Atherton, and is only staffed during the morning and lunchtime period (06:25 to 12:55, weekdays only).

Improvement works to the station are planned, in order to replace the flimsy platforms which have begun to suffer from considerable wear and tear and vandalism.

Shelters, digital display screens and timetable poster boards are located on each side; there is also a P.A system provided to supply automated train running announcements.

[2] As of November 2021 there is an hourly service for Hag Fold on Sundays in each direction, to Manchester Victoria and Blackburn and to Southport via Wigan Wallgate.