Prior to the railway line being extended in the mid-1970s, most local trains from
Adelaide terminated at either
Marino or
Hallett Cove, a station on the
closed line to
Willunga. Noarlunga Centre opened on 2 April 1978 as the terminus of the
line when it was extended from
Christie Downs. It was built as an island platform between the two rail tracks and the ticket office on the bridge above. Passengers accessed the platforms via escalators or a ramp and typically had a long walk between trains and buses. In 1996, a third platform face was added alongside the western track, and the ticket office relocated onto the platform level. The project was completed in March 2004 and until the Seaford rail extension most trains used this western track, giving passengers safer and more direct access to connecting buses. Prior to the Seaford rail extension, Platform 1 had been mostly disused. There are no storage facilities for trains at Noarlunga Centre. However a number of the extra railcars needed for peak-hour services on the line are stabled overnight in secure sidings at
Port Stanvac, around four kilometres north, just beyond
Lonsdale station. Since the 1990s, there has been significant residential development at
Seaford and
Aldinga, south of Noarlunga Centre with several proposals to extend the rail line southwards from Noarlunga Interchange to serve the Seaford district. A corridor of land had been reserved. In 2009, construction of the extension to Seaford commenced, and was opened on 23 February 2014.
Ticket gates have been installed for the station to combat against fare evasion, similar to those at
Adelaide railway station and
Salisbury. == Services by platform ==