The station is 9+1⁄4 miles (14.9 km) east of Manchester Piccadilly on a branch of the Hope Valley Line to Rose Hill Marple.

[1] From 1866, a second link from Apethorne Junction to the north gave an east-facing link to the Woodhead Line, at Godley Junction; it was used heavily for many years by trans-Pennine freight traffic, mainly coal from the South Yorkshire coalfields to Fiddlers Ferry power station.

The Stockport route closed to passengers in January 1967,[2] although a short section at the eastern end remains in use today for goods traffic, serving a Tarmac stone terminal and waste recycling plant at Bredbury.

Service information is offered via automated announcements, digital display screens, an induction loop and timetable posters.

The station building on the northbound platform is now a private dwelling; next to it is a small car park with five spaces available for rail users.