On February 15, 1897, trains on the Harlem Division started running over the new drawbridge over the Harlem River and the elevated structure connecting to it. The Department of War ordered that the bridge cannot be opened during peak hours, between 7 and 10 a.m. and 4 and 7 p.m. First a connection was made between the new tracks and the old tracks in between 115th Street and 116th Street. At 117th Street, the temporary tracks used the old viaduct, going under the new structure to 125th Street. Later on, the old and temporary work was removed. Two of the four tracks were not yet built between the bridge and 149th Street since the space was occupied by a temporary structure. The grade crossing at 138th Street was eliminated as part of the project. On October 15, 1897, a spacious new station in Harlem was opened at 125th Street, replacing a small station in the old Park Avenue open cut located between 125th Street and 126th Street. The new station was built atop the old open cut and directly under the new Park Avenue Viaduct. The station was higher than the old one. The platforms, which were built on the viaduct, were built to be long. Unlike the old station, which was a local stop, the new station was constructed with two island platforms to allow express trains to stop, with the local tracks curving outwards to make room for them. The station was designed by architect Morgan O'Brien, and consisted of three levels: the basement containing a section of the old cut not filled in, a waiting room at street level, and the elevated platforms. The original station platforms were discovered in the basement level in 1988 as the current station was set to be renovated.