Freight services to the British Fuel Company's coal concentration depot continued until 4 December 1980 when British Rail abruptly discontinued them, stating that the 14,000 tonnes of coal handled was far less than when the depot had been opened and the decline was mainly due to householders switching to other types of fuel.

[2] Closure came as a surprise to local councils which had been planning to transform Fernhill depot, alongside the Bury line, into a rail-served waste disposal facility capable of dealing with 600 tonnes per day by 1984.

[citation needed] The waiting room recently went through a restoration project, to make the station as original as possible.

There are two platform faces, however only the main one is available for regular passenger services owing to the limitations of the signalling currently provided.

The East Lancashire Railway operates every weekend throughout the year and Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays between Easter and the end of September.