Bengaluru was brought to a standstill on Sunday, June 2, as heavy rain and thunderstorms caused significant damage and disruption across the city. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 103.5mm of rainfall, leading to the fall of 206 trees and 41 branches, inundating many roads and causing severe traffic congestion.
The heavy downpour resulted in traffic blocks and congestion throughout Sunday evening. Severe traffic jams were reported from major areas including Airport Road, Hosur Road, Peenya, Koramangala, Bannerghatta Road, Mysuru Road, Hebbal, and other regions. Waterlogging on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway added to the city's traffic woes.
The rain also disrupted metro operations on the purple line, which were abruptly halted between MG Road and Indira Nagar stations during peak evening hours. A tree fell on the rail tracks due to the heavy rain, causing train operations to stop at 7:26 pm between the affected points, which covers four stations. Namma Metro issued a public advisory on social media stating, "Due to a tree branch falling on the Metro tracks just after Trinity station towards MG Road. Trains are operating only between Indiranagar and Whitefield, and MG Road and Challaghatta from 7.26pm. Efforts are on to clear the branch and resume normal operations."
Short loop trains were run to cover the two ends of the purple line between Indira Nagar and Whitefield on one end and MG Road and Challaghatta on the other while efforts were made to remove the fallen tree from the tracks. Both the Fire Department and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) worked late into the night on June 2 to clear the tree from the tracks. The affected stretch included Halasuru and Trinity stations.
By the morning of June 3, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) announced that normal service on the entire Purple Line had been restored. Trains are now running smoothly from Challaghatta to Whitefield, adhering to their regular schedule. The BMRCL release stated, “Today, normalcy of service on the entire Purple Line has been restored, and trains are running as per schedule from Challaghatta to Whitefield.”
According to @Bnglrweatherman on platform X, Bengaluru has broken a 133-year-old record for the highest single-day rainfall in June. The city received 140.7 mm of rain over the past two days, surpassing the monthly average of 110.3 mm.