[1][2] It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line 7+3⁄4 miles (12.5 km) north of Manchester Victoria, though only local services run by Northern Trains stop here.

There are simple waiting shelters on each platform, with train running information provided by telephone and timetable posters.

[3] There is an hourly service northbound to Bolton and Southport and southbound to Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge throughout the day Mondays to Saturdays.

[4] Evening trains began stopping here at the May 2018 timetable change, but ongoing electrification work on the Manchester to Preston route saw all weekend trains replaced by buses for most of 2017–18; electric service eventually starting on Monday 11 February 2019 initially utilising Class 319 electric multiple units[5] (though the Wigan to Manchester trains serving the station are still diesel operated).

In 2009, Andrew Adonis in a government paper, proposed infill electrification schemes in the North West of England.