The 1952 station lost its outbound platform to fire on February 14, 1976, leaving only the inbound platform open, which hurt attendance at races.
The station was rebuilt in 1983 after the project received a $1.9 million grant from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration; the new accessible station fully opened on January 3, 1984.

The station was closed for one year starting on June 25, 1994 as Suffolk Downs, Beachmont, Revere Beach, and Wonderland stations were rebuilt as part of the Blue Line Modernization Program.
Blue Line service temporarily ended at Orient Heights and buses served the closed outer stations during the project.
Because Suffolk Downs station had been completely rebuilt just a decade before, it needed just $3 million worth of work, compared to $9 million each at Revere Beach and Wonderland and $27 million for a completely new station at Beachmont.
The stations reopened on June 24, 1995.

Unusually for an MBTA rapid transit station, Suffolk Downs has no MBTA bus connections.
However, during the 2013 closure of Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs was used as the terminus of replacement shuttle bus service.
The 1952 station lost its outbound platform to fire on February 14, 1976, leaving only the inbound platform open, which hurt attendance at races. The station was rebuilt in 1983 after the project received a $1.9 million grant from the Urban Mass Transportation Administration; the new accessible station fully opened on January 3, 1984.
The station was closed for one year starting on June 25, 1994 as Suffolk Downs, Beachmont, Revere Beach, and Wonderland stations were rebuilt as part of the Blue Line Modernization Program. Blue Line service temporarily ended at Orient Heights and buses served the closed outer stations during the project. Because Suffolk Downs station had been completely rebuilt just a decade before, it needed just $3 million worth of work, compared to $9 million each at Revere Beach and Wonderland and $27 million for a completely new station at Beachmont. The stations reopened on June 24, 1995.
Unusually for an MBTA rapid transit station, Suffolk Downs has no MBTA bus connections. However, during the 2013 closure of Orient Heights, Suffolk Downs was used as the terminus of replacement shuttle bus service.
Suffolk Downs station