As the harbour project reached completion, a station was erected alongside the wharf at Outer Harbor and a passenger service was introduced in late 1907.

In 1926, a new passenger station with brick buildings was built on the present site and allowed the lines closer to the wharf to concentrate on handling goods traffic.

Goods trains continued to access the wharf by reversing from the north end of the balloon loop.

This was an extension of the industrial line at Osborne and followed the western bank of the Port River to Pelican Point.

In the late 1980s, a resignalling scheme resulted in decommissioning of the balloon loop and the singling of the last three kilometres of track north of Midlunga.