The station, situated 10 miles 74 chains (17.6 km) south-east of Sunderland, serves the villages of Horden, Blackhall Colliery and Easington along with the town of Peterlee in County Durham, North East England.

[11][12] In September 2016, Durham County Council announced that a new preferred site had been identified at South East View, Horden, and a public consultation was launched,[13] in order to gauge the potential usage of a reopened station.

[15] Network Rail submitted a planning application for the new station on 1 November 2018,[16] and this was duly approved on 7 January 2019.

[17] The first stage of construction work for this project, involving the creation of the station car park and adjacent bus stop, commenced on 28 May 2019.

[18][19] In late April 2020, having completed both platforms, the station's footbridge and associated ramps and stairs were installed by Story Contracting, using a 500 tonne crane.

[22] This May 2020 opening date was also missed owing to a requirement to adjust working practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[24] The station is part of the Northern Trains penalty fare network, meaning that a ticket or "promise to pay" notice is required prior to boarding.