It is 14 miles 76 chains (24.1 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Gidea Park and Brentwood.

Harold Wood station was opened on 1 December 1868 by the Great Eastern Railway in the north of the parish of Hornchurch.

The original tracks are normally used today by express services which do not call at Harold Wood.

At this time the current station building was constructed on the overbridge at Gubbins Lane, and new platforms of precast concrete construction located slightly further east nearer to the new station building.

[4] All services at Harold Wood are operated by the Elizabeth line using Class 345 EMUs.