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MTA Metro-North Railroad has begun a $67 million project to install a new cab signal system on the Port Jervis Line.

The project is part of the railroad's ongoing effort to bring its infrastructure into a state of good repair, Metro-North officials said in a prepared statement.

The project calls for replacing the existing 40-year-old wayside system, and renewing 10 interlocking and four grade crossings from Suffern to Port Jervis, N.Y., a distance of about 66 miles.

"This upgrade to cab signals will bring the line up to the modern standards in place across the railroad, and will improve the ride for all Port Jervis customers," said Metro-North President Howard Permut.

The cab signal system's budget includes $12 million for the application of positive train control (PTC), which is under a separate contract. The Port Jervis signalization project, including PTC, is scheduled for completion in December 2015.

Meanwhile, a $450,000 restoration of Grand Central Terminal's Whispering Gallery has been completed. The gallery is an acoustical anomaly that enables visitors to stand in diagonal corners of the 50-foot wide chamber and whisper to one another as the sound carries across the domed ceiling.

The work is part of Metro-North's "dedicated stewardship" of Grand Central Terminal, which will reach its centennial on Feb. 1, 2013, Hermut said.

"We intend to preserve and improve this great edifice so that it endures another 100 years and beyond," he said.