The station opened in 1884, when the London and North Western Railway's line from Birmingham to Sutton Coldfield was extended to Lichfield.

More recently, in May 1978 Four Oaks became the northern terminus of the newly inaugurated Cross-City Line from Longbridge via Birmingham New Street, with trains running up to every 10 minutes in each direction.

Four Oaks remains a terminus for some services from the south, which mostly use the bay platform 3 on the eastern side of the station to turn back.

The station has a staffed ticket office on the eastern island platform, which is open seven days per week (Monday - Friday 06:00 - 20:00, Saturday 07:00 - 20:00, Sunday 09:00 - 16:00).

Train running information is provided by customer help points, timetable posters, automated announcements and CIS displays.