A downtown streetcar line will be a priority if she's elected mayor of Vancouver, said candidate Suzanne Anton.

Running for the Non Partisan Association, Anton unveiled an ambitious plan for the line to connect Granville Island, Science World, Chinatown, and Stanley Park.

"The fact is the downtown streetcar will do more to keep Vancouver green than all of the current Vision's plans which are all too often about style than real results for the environment," she said on Wednesday.

The first phase of the proposal would cost at least $80 million. Anton was unclear where that money would come from but suggested private companies may be willing to help foot the bill.

"It'll be huge tourist attraction. It'll be a commuter rail. It'll be a rail that people here use," she said. "But imagine when you get off your cruise ship down at Waterfront and you want a lovely tour through Vancouver you will be jumping on this train."

During the 2010 Winter Olympics, two streetcars provided free rides between the Cambie Bridge and Granville Island. The city spent about $8.5 million dollars upgrading 1.8 kilometres of an old rail line for the route.

The Bombardier-built streetcars were returned to Brussels after the Games were over.

At the time, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson said there wasn't money available for streetcars, but was optimistic they could be feasible in five to 10 years.

Volunteers from the Transit Museum Society currently run two restored streetcars on the line, primarily for tourists on weekends and holidays from May to mid-October.