The station is situated on the Barton line 19 miles (31 km) west of Cleethorpes, and all trains serving it are operated by East Midlands Railway.

The original station, named New Holland Town, was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and was situated a few yards towards the Humber Estuary at the landward end of New Holland Pier, a jetty, some 1,500 feet (460 m) in length which served a ferry service to Hull.

As one of the early aims of the MS&LR was to reach Hull the pierhead at New Holland became its "Up" terminus.

It played an important part in railway life for it was here that the railway company laundry was situated and special laundry vans brought the soiled washing from the company's stations, restaurant cars and hotels.

[4] The station is unstaffed and has limited amenities (just a waiting shelter, bench seat and timetable poster board on the single wood platform).