The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southern, and it is on the Caterham Line.

It is a short walk from Upper Warlingham railway station on the Oxted Line, which runs parallel to the Caterham Line for most of its length.

The station, opened on 1 January 1900 (after the line), has a single-storey ticket office on the Up side, and a double barrier CCTV crossing at the country end of the station.

All services at Whyteleafe are operated by Southern using Class 377 EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[4] Up until September 2022 there were additional off-peak services to London Bridge via Norbury and Tulse Hill.