It is 6 miles 46 chains (10.6 km) down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Ealing Broadway to the east and Hanwell to the west.

The station was opened on 1 March 1871 as Castle Hill on the Great Western Railway, which was constructed from London Paddington through Ealing to Maidenhead in 1836–1838.

[8] The station was located next to the London Co-operative Society's main creamery, and so was equipped with a dedicated milk train platform in the mid-1900s.

[11] In December 2018, Chiltern Railways commenced operating a once per day parliamentary service on weekdays from South Ruislip and to High Wycombe via the Greenford line.

However, the Greenford branch line would terminate at the station at a new platform, to allow for a greater number of services to run into Paddington.

[23][24] Outside the station, public realm improvements funded by Transport for London and Ealing Borough Council would include a raised speed table with granite paving, widened pavements, street trees and cycle parking.

[27] In December 2017, MTR Crossrail took over management of the station from Great Western Railway, with TfL Rail services running from May 2018,[28] transferring to the Elizabeth line in May 2022.

[29] Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[30] the new station building opened on 25 March 2021, providing step free access to all platforms.

The station was also served by a very limited Chiltern Railways service of one train per week to West Ruislip on Wednesdays only.