Saudi Arabia is postponing construction of the futuristic city The Line until at least 2030. The decision marks a retreat from one of the most ambitious projects under NEOM - the kingdom's massive economic transformation plan.
The Line was presented as a city in the form of two parallel mirror facades stretching 170 kilometers across the desert, coast and mountains in the northwestern part of Saudi Arabia. The project envisaged a height of 500 meters, a width of 200 meters and a capacity for about 9 million residents. The concept included no roads, high-speed transport and renewable energy.
$2.5 billion stadium project on hold
Plans for the 46,000-seat NEOM Stadium have been shelved indefinitely, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the decision. The facility was to be part of The Line and host matches at the 2034 World Cup. It is expected to cost around $2.5 billion.
The news of the stadium comes after months of reports that The Line’s original scale had been scaled back. In April, the head of the sovereign wealth fund, Yasser al-Rumayyan, said that the project was no longer a priority and did not need to be completed before 2030, but denied that individual projects had been definitively canceled.
Focus shifts to infrastructure
According to Semafor, NEOM has stopped further work on The Line and is redirecting funds to the port and industrial city of Oxagon, as well as data centers and energy and digital infrastructure. The target for the number of NEOM residents by 2030 has been reduced to a maximum of 100,000 people. Previously, 1.5 million residents were discussed, and the forecast was subsequently lowered to 300,000.
The change also has a significant financial cost. The expected payments for the termination of long-term contracts with contractors in the period 2026-2030 are about 60 billion Saudi riyals, or approximately 16 billion USD. The amount may change depending on negotiations with the companies.
NEOM's official presentation goes on to describe The Line as a project that will be developed in stages and according to demand. This leaves open the possibility of a limited continuation or revision of the concept, but does not confirm a return to the original plan for a 170-kilometer city.
From a symbol of Vision 2030 to a controversial asset
FAKTİ has already written about the expectations for NEOM as a real estate market and about the initial plans for a city with clean energy, smart services and limited car traffic. The project was presented as a central part of Vision 2030 - Saudi Arabia's strategy to reduce dependence on oil.
In a new episode of the Dezeen Weekly podcast, The Line is examined as an example of a megaproject whose promises are faced with financial, technical and organizational limitations. The participants also discuss the responsibility of the architectural studios that worked on the project, which attracted international attention with its visualizations, but remained far from the initially announced scale.
Sources: dezeen.com, fakti.bg, semafor.com
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