The station is situated between the centre of the town and the "Hill Top" residential area. The station has two platforms with a car park and bus stop at the approach to Platform 2. The current station was opened on 13 December 1982 by Metro (the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive) and British Rail. The Huddersfield-bound platform is on the site of an earlier four platform station which opened in 1849 and closed on 7 October 1968.[1] The current Stalybridge-bound platform is on the site of the old goods yard.
The station is unstaffed. As of November 2018, tickets can be purchased from one of two Ticket Vending Machines situated on the station. These are located on each of the two platforms, offering a better provision than that which was removed from the eastbound platform in July 2018. There are shelters on both platforms, along with timetable poster boards and digital information displays. Train running information can also be obtained by telephone. Step-free access to both platforms (which are staggered) is available via ramps from the nearby road (westbound) or through the station car park (eastbound).[2] Access to the westbound platform is via the car park, and to the eastbound from the nearby road by crossing under the railway bridge.
Platforms on both Eastbound and Westbound sides of the station were extended in May 2018 and can now accommodate up to four carriages, enabling the use of six-car trains (pairs of three-car sets). Following a period of having no shelters, in September 2018, new passenger shelters were erected on both the west and eastbound platforms by the station's operator Northern.
Additional trains call at Slaithwaite during the AM and PM peak. Services between Hull and Manchester Piccadilly call in both directions, whilst there are four trains each way (two morning, two late afternoon) to and from York via Castleford.
