This outstate newspaper has long been an advocate of metro light rail.

So it is good to see Minnesota finally get some work done on a second light-rail line. Crews this week are doing early utility work on the Central Corridor route to finally connect Minneapolis to St. Paul in anticipation of construction next year.

To future generations, it will have seemed odd that people in the second half of the 20th century and in the early 21st century couldn’t take a train from one Twin City to another. It’s seems a no-brainer. They will say, “Duh!”

Taxpayers today are paying a hefty cost for the dismantling of the Twin City Rapid Transit rail lines in 1954.

But there’s a good side: It doesn’t take long for these light-rail lines pay for themselves

The Hiawatha line in Minneapolis connects the airport, Mall of America, Metrodome and downtown. It has been great at reducing traffic, popular among the commuting public and is a money maker for Metro Transit. The line paid for itself in two years.

It resulted in the construction of 12,000 housing units within a half-mile of the route before the rail even opened. There was a business boom along the line, too. You can’t say that people don’t want light rail. They yearn to leave their cars at home and take a train.

Light rail makes sense for the state’s metro area. It’s good for the state’s image and for the state’s economy — which in turn benefits all of Minnesota. Plus, light rail makes driving in the Twin Cities much easier for us outstate motorists.

We know an Albert Lea couple who parks close to a station on Hiawatha Avenue and takes the train to Twins games because it is easier to get in and out of the downtown that way.

Slated to start operation in 2014, the Central Corridor would connect Union Depot, the Capitol and points along University Avenue to the East Bank and West Bank before connecting to downtown Minneapolis.

We look forward to riding.