The station opened as Newburgh on 9 April 1855 when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) opened the line from Wigan Wallgate to Southport London Street, the line and station had been planned, authorised and construction started by the Manchester and Southport Railway before it was acquired by the L&YR on 3 July 1854.

[3] It radically altered the village, allowing workers to live in Parbold and commute to urban areas throughout the North West.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail.

The station has retained its L&YR signal box, which operates the adjacent barrier level crossing.

The station is staffed on a part-time basis, with the ticket office open from 06:30 to 11:00 on weekdays only (closed Saturdays and Sundays).