It was extended in 1850, with new platforms under the separate management of the East Lancashire Railway, and by 1863 London–Scotland trains stopped here to allow passengers to eat in the station dining room.

As well as inter-city trains to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, the station is served by local trains to other parts of Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire.

This importance continued into the railway age, both as a major junction and as a stopping point about halfway between London and Glasgow.

Rivalry often prevented any co-operation over shared facilities, and so almost every railway line into Preston used its own station.

[6] The Lancaster and Preston Junction Railway (L&PJR) was the third line, which opened on 25 June 1840,[7] initially using the North Union station.

The line was initially opposed by Preston Corporation, but was eventually permitted on condition that the embankment north of the Ribble (which later became the dividing line between Avenham and Miller Parks) be ornamentally laid out, and that a pedestrian path (still in use today) be provided on the river bridge.

The line ran into new platforms built on the east side of the North Union station, which were managed and staffed by the ELR, and which had their own booking hall and entrance in Butler Street.

[12] The seventh line in Preston was the North Union's own Victoria Quay Branch to Victoria Quay on the River Ribble (later extended to Preston Docks in 1882 and which now connects to the heritage Ribble Steam Railway).

[13] The single-track goods line opened in October 1846 from a south-facing junction immediately south of Preston Station, through a tight curve into a tunnel with a gradient of 1 in 29, emerging north of Fishergate Hill near the riverside.

[11] The ninth and final line into Preston was the West Lancashire Railway (WLR) from Southport.

This resulted in the diversion of all passenger services to use the East Lancashire platforms of Preston Station from 16 July 1900.

By 1846, the station was already very busy, handling trains from Wigan and the south, Bolton, Fleetwood, Blackpool, Lancaster and the north, and Blackburn.

The coal yards and sidings here continued to operate long after the canal had fallen into commercial disuse.

[18] The condition of the station deteriorated to the extent that on 18 August 1866 part of the roof on the East Lancashire side collapsed injuring three people, one seriously.

A booking hall at the north end of the station was accessed from the middle of a new bridge carrying Fishergate over the railway.

[21] At the south end of the main platform, a footbridge led to the nearby Park Hotel, a joint LYR/LNWR property, opened in 1883.

This was followed by the closure of the East Lancashire line, between Preston and Bamber Bridge via its original direct route, in April 1972.

[32] Their site is now covered by car parks for the station and the adjacent Fishergate Shopping Centre, which was built in the 1980s, partly over the north end of the former goods yard.

[33][circular reference] Some of the station's heritage can still be seen: In 1970, approval was given to electrify the rest of the West Coast Main Line from Weaver Junction through Preston to Glasgow Central.

One of the drama segments of the televised Preston Passion of 2012 was set in the First World War servicemen's buffet.

One of the catenary stanchions on platform 4 is notably better kept than others; it carries a small plaque detailing the visit of Queen Elizabeth II on 7 May 1974, after the completion of electrification of tracks north of the point where it stands.

The ticket office is located within the small concourse, which provides direct access, down the ramp, to the intercity platforms 3 and 4.

Inside these buildings are services and amenities such as a newsagent and several food outlets, including a licensed restaurant.

Preston retained a manual Tannoy system until 30 January 2017, a rarity amongst the larger stations in the UK.

In 2009, the station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and was set to receive a share of £50 million funding for improvements prior to a public spending review initiated in 2010.

The station is served by four train operating companies: Northbound: Southbound: Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Long Term Rail Strategy document of October 2017, page 37, states a review in 2020 to introduce new Merseyrail battery trains will be undertaken, in view to put Preston onto the Merseyrail network by extending the Merseyrail Northern Line from Ormskirk to Preston.

The document states, "The potential use of battery powered Merseyrail units may improve the business case".

[46][47] The following HS2 services are planned to call at Preston:[48] length Will run combined with the Liverpool train (see above) between London and Crewe if Phase 2a is open.