The station is unstaffed, but has a heated waiting room, pay telephone, washrooms, free outdoor parking, and wheelchair access.

The station, built from local limestone as part of the 1856 Grand Trunk Railway, opened on the October 27, 1856 inauguration of Montreal–Toronto mainline service.

The GTR was ultimately bankrupted by an ill-fated expansion westward and merged into the Canadian National Railway in 1923.

A 1978 CN proposal to close or remove Port Hope station drew strong local opposition.

Port Hope Town Council obtained a partnership with the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, the Ontario Heritage Foundation, CN/Via and the province to use public funds and the money CN had earmarked for construction of a new shelter to instead retain and restore the original station to its 1881 appearance, returning it to passenger use.