Opened in 1845 as a commuter rail station, Savin Hill was converted to rapid transit in 1927 and rebuilt in 2004–05 for accessibility.

Averaging 2,199 daily boardings by a FY 2019 count, Savin Hill is the least-used station on the Red Line.

Five tracks pass roughly north-south through the station area, which is located on the west side of the Southeast Expressway.

[4] Savin Hill was a flag stop for South Braintree and Dorchester and Milton Branch trains by 1848.

Savin Hill, located on the Old Colony mainline, was rebuilt as a rapid transit station as part of the extension.

[1][15][16] Savin Hill station was further modified during the remainder of the 20th century with the removal of the waiting room in the 1970s and a longer platform extension in the late 1980s to allow 6-car trains.

[17] The MBTA broke ground for the Red Line Rehabilitation Project – a $67 million reconstruction of Shawmut, Fields Corner, and Savin Hill stations – in October 2003.

[1][21] The closure was originally scheduled to last 10 months, but was delayed by inclement weather and slow procurement of structural steel.