The province wants to offer a refund to GO train riders if their trip is more than 15 minutes late, but there is some fine print.

Starting sometime in 2012, passengers will get refunds for train delays, the government said Wednesday in a news release.  It hasn't yet determined a specific date for when the program would start.

Premier Dalton McGuinty made the announcement in Etobicoke from a GO Transit yard.  He first publicly mentioned the idea back in June, when he offered a 20-minute guarantee.

There are exceptions to the lateness guarantee, however. The government said delays caused by extreme weather, police investigations, accidents and medical emergencies are not covered by the policy.

If a refund is warranted, it would be for the one-way fare and would be credited to the rider's Presto card. A customer sales representative might also issue the refund.

GO Transit claims to have maintained a 94 per cent on-time rate for its trains over the past year.

GO spokesperson Vanessa Thomas said about 70 per cent of delays are due to factors that could be considered GO's responsibility. The other 30 per cent would consist of the exceptions to the refund policy, she told CTVNews.ca.

The refund would cost GO an estimated $6 million to $7 million per year, she said.

"Our objective is not to issue refunds. Our objective is actually to minimize the amount of time we are issuing refunds, because this is all about customer service," Bruce McCuaig, CEO of Metrolinx told reporters.

GO is operated by Metrolinx, a provincial agency set up in 2006 to improve transportation in the GTA and Hamilton regions.

About 180 GO train and 2,000 bus trips carry about 217,000 passengers on a typical weekday, according to the agency.

Ontarians vote in a provincial election on Oct. 6.

 Progressive Conservative critic Elizabeth Witmer described the refund proposal as a "gimmick."

 

However, she wouldn't say whether if the Tories would offer such a rebate if they take power.

 

"It was just a phoney announcement and an attempt to get a little publicity," Witmer said. "If it's like anything else Dalton McGuinty announces, such as the fact he wasn't going to raise your taxes, we all know what's going to happen, they won't be able to honour it."

NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo criticized Wednesday's announcement as doing too little to reduce the problems of GTA gridlock.

"Shaving five minutes off is good news but we're waiting for major infrastructure investments in transit," she said. "If this is as good as it gets, this is not going to solve the gridlock problem in Toronto."

Metrolinx unveiled "The Big Move" plan in 2008 to improve regional transportation. The McGuinty government put up $11.5 billion to get the project underway.

The federal Conservative government has also contributed hundreds of millions of dollars toward GTA public transit.

Union Station

Part of the improvements to transit infrastructure include the $640-million renovation of Union Station, the city's rail transportation hub -- and that means some businesses operating inside will have to shut down.

Lori Villanova of Bruno's Barber Shop, which has operated in Union Station for a half-century, said the business recently received three month's notice it will have to close.

"It's too bad. It's sort of an institution in Union Station," said customer Bob Nicholls. "But I guess things have to move on."

CTV News reported that City Hall officials said Union Station business tenants were told in 2009 and again in 2010 that the revitalization project could displace them.

Unfortunately, the tenants must get out so the revitalization work can go forward, officials said.

With reports from CTV Toronto's Michelle Dube and John Musselman