The station opened for passengers as Lostock on 1 January 1863 as part of the Cheshire Midland Railway.

On Sundays, a two-hourly service to Chester and Manchester was introduced, with the latter continuing to Southport, via Wigan Wallgate and Bolton.

As a result of the Lostock Triangle development, the station is no longer a request stop.

Train running details are offered via digital display screens (fitted in 2015),[8] telephone and timetable posters.

There have been plans for a half-hourly service in each direction – it was a part of the 2015 franchise agreement[11] – but this has been repeatedly delayed due to capacity constraints between Stockport and Manchester and is yet, as of January 2022, to be implemented.

[12] As part of Northern's proposed December 2022 timetable (which focuses on additional services within the Manchester area), an additional 4 trains per day between Chester and Stockport (2 in each direction) have been proposed during peak hours on Mondays to Saturdays.