The neighborhood needs were always there. The political will was there, too, and growing rapidly over the past several weeks.

Now, the money's there, and it's official: The proposed Central Corridor light-rail line will stop three more times along its 11-mile route between St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In a celebratory news conference Monday on University Avenue in St. Paul, a host of leaders led by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Rep. James Oberstar and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman announced that the federal government would pay half of the $15.6 million to build the additional University Avenue stations at Hamline Avenue, Victoria Street and Western Avenue.

And, officials announced, they have figured out how to fund the other half through a combination of sales and property tax funds and private donations.

Those three stations, which had been in the "we'll-get-to-them-later" category, for years have been a rallying cry for neighborhood groups. The groups, which included chambers of commerce, district councils and minority groups, argued that businesses and residents, especially lower-income residents who depend on mass transit, were being bypassed by a roughly $1 billion project they'd be able to see but not benefit from.

Without the three stations, the route would have had gaps of up to a mile between stations, and because bus service will be reduced when trains start rolling as soon as 2014, many complained they would be worse off after the train than today.