New Delhi, Jan 6 : A railway terminal, an interstate bus terminal and now a Metro line... east Delhi's Anand Vihar Wednesday turned into an enviable transport hub with the inauguration of the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar Metro line.

The 6.25-km long elevated line, inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and union Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy Wednesday noon, will open for the public Thursday.

"The Anand Vihar Metro Station is a major integrating terminal that brings together three modes of public transport -- the Metro, the Indian Railways and the Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT). Commuters would have now easy access to all the three facilities," a Metro official told IANS.

The new Metro line will benefit thousands of commuters coming to the national capital from Ghaziabad and other towns in Uttar Pradesh.

"Nowhere in Delhi would a commuter have such facilities. Here, passengers would have an option of boarding a train, bus or Metro," Girish Upreti, a resident of Anand Vihar, told IANS.

The Anand Vihar railway terminal was inaugurated last month. Opened in December 2009 with the aim of decongesting the New Delhi Railway Station, it will mostly cater to east-bound trains. Some trains have started operating from the station, while several others are planned to start from here in next few months.

The Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal has been operational for several years and already caters to thousands of passengers everyday.

The new Delhi Metro line is the fourth line of the Metro network and has five stations - Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. The last two will have parking facilities. Two more stations - Kaushambi and Vaishali - in Uttar Pradesh will be added by September this year, before the 2010 Commonwealth Games start.

Delhi Metro chief E. Sreedharan Wednesday said: "We are expecting a ridership of 60,000 on this line and it will be very beneficial for east Delhi residents."

The new line is expected to ferry 100,000 passengers by the end of this year, an official added. (IANS)