Benson proposes light rail network to connect Detroit to Traverse City, Grand Rapids
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democratic candidate for governor, speaks during a panel promoting her book at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich., on May 28, 2025, the second day of the Mackinac Policy Conference. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
MACKINAC ISLAND – Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says if elected governor she would prioritize creating a light rail network connecting the state.
Benson was speaking during a session promoting her book, 'The Purposeful Warrior: Standing Up for What's Right When the Stakes Are High,' during the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday.
She said it would be part of her platform to make Michigan 'the best place to be a kid, raise a kid and call home.'
'Transit in our state, and mobility, is this massively unsolved problem an issue that is holding us back from attracting some of the best talent and some of the best businesses,' Benson said.
She said possible routes include from Detroit to Traverse City, with stops in Flint and Saginaw along the way; from Detroit to the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Ann Arbor and Chicago; and from Detroit, through Oakland County and onto Lansing and Grand Rapids.
'We can do it quickly, we can do it efficiently and we can deliver those results to make sure Michigan is the best place to call home, so people can move around with ease,' Benson said.
Benson said other states, like Florida, have been successful in implementing similar transit systems.
She said in an interview with the Michigan Advance that public-private partnerships would be key to making it happen.
'To me, getting things done as governor is getting things like that done – big things that we haven't been able to get done, but if we did, it would be transformational,' Benson said.
Benson said she would also create a department on arts, culture, tourism and sports if elected governor, which would 'lead the way in investing in places for people to move, to grow and to create industries that will generate content, whether it's filmmaking or more broadly in the arts.'
'What will be critical to us being able to turn around the population decline in the state is creating places where people want to create things and thrive,' Benson said.
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