The station is located in Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, right in front of Piazza Carlo Felice (in the South side of the city centre).

The departure area consisted of a large saloon, decorated with columns, stucco work and frescoes depicting the crests of 135 Italian cities showing their distance in kilometers from Turin.

This building housed the ticket office, three waiting rooms (one for each of the three classes of railway travel), the Royal Hall and a cafe restaurant.

Enzo Ferrari attended "Bar del Nord" in Porta Nuova, where he met those connected with automobiles and racing when he was working in Turin as a young man, circa 1918–1919.

In January 2013, restoration work continued on the facade and interior, preserving historical elements from the 19th century, including its distinctive red colour.

In a corridor off the central gallery of the station, a former first-class waiting room where members of the Royal Savoy family awaited their trains, is still visible today.

Modest in size, at 75 m2 (810 sq ft), the room is well preserved, featuring original furniture consisting of armchairs, tables, and mirrors.