Situated on the western shore of Lake Van, the station serves as a connection between modes of transport, with two slips carrying a total of seven tracks.

TCDD Taşımacılık operates a ferry, the Lake Van Ferry, between Tatvan and Van, which carries passengers freight railcars and vehicles across the lake.

Up until July 2015, the Trans-Asia Express, from Ankara, stopped at the station.

Passengers would travel to Van via ferry, where the eastern half of the train would continue to Tehran, Iran.

[1] As of mid-2015, freight trains are the only rail traffic at the station.