Train services started on 1 January 1887 and have since been provided by Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (1887–1937), Nederlandse Spoorwegen (1938–2000), NoordNed (2000–2005), and Arriva (2005–present). There was a station building between 1891 and 1973, which was replaced by a shelter. The station was definitely closed in 2020.
The station has two tracks and two platforms. Before the station was closed, there were three local train services with four trains per hour to and from Groningen, two trains to and from Veendam, and two trains to and from Bad Nieuweschans.
The segment of the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway between Groningen and Winschoten was opened on 1 May 1868, when train services started at the nearby Hoogezand-Sappemeer railway station.[2][3] From 1 January 1887, trains also call at Borgercompagniesterweg, the former name of Sappemeer Oost.[1] Initially, the trains were operated by the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (Company for the Exploitation of the State Railways). In 1891, the station building of the type Visvliet was completed.[1]
In 1900, the railway station was renamed from Borgercompagniesterweg to Sappemeer Oost.[1] In 1917, the station building was expanded with a third class waiting room.[1] In 1938, the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen merged with the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (Hollandic Iron Railroad Company) and became the train operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Netherlands Railways).[4] In 1973, the station building was demolished and replaced by a simple shelter.[1]
Since 2000, trains have been operated by NoordNed, which became Arriva in 2005.
The double-track railway through Sappemeer is unelectrified and oriented west to east. At the station are two platforms, platform 1 on the north side of the northern track and platform 2 on the south side of the southern track, that are on separate sides of a level crossing of the public road.[5]
