Desk Report,
Are Saudi Arabia’s dream ‘NEOM’ mega project being cut?
Saudi Arabi has hired a number of consulting firms to review its plans for a futuristic city called The Line. The 170-kilometer-long city is set to be built on the Red Sea coast. It is a major part of Saudi Arabia’s mega-project NEOM.
Are Saudi Arabia’s dream ‘NEOM’ mega project being cut?
According to a Bloomberg report, the Saudi government’s investment fund (PIF) has asked the consultants to look into whether the car-free project is feasible.
The Saudi government’s new initiative could cast further doubt on the future of The Line.
Earlier in April, The Financial Times reported that the CEO of the NEOM project himself had launched a “major review” of the entire mega-project.
The NEOM project includes luxury hotels, ski resorts and the city of The Line—all part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan, which aims to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues.
Bloomberg also reported that in 2024, the Saudi government decided to scale back the project, which was initially expected to house 1.5 million people by 2030. It is now estimated that only 300,000 people will live there by 2030, and only 2.4 kilometers of the city will be completed by then.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the project with great enthusiasm in 2021. In a video, he showed major historical discoveries—such as the moon landing and the advent of the internet—and asked, “What’s next?”
The video shows the Crown Prince coming on TV and answering, “The Line.”
Saudi Arabia has hired a number of consulting firms to review its plans for a futuristic city called The Line. The 170-kilometer-long city is set to be built on the Red Sea coast. It is a major part of Saudi Arabia’s mega-project NEOM.
According to a Bloomberg report, the Saudi government’s investment fund (PIF) has asked the consultants to look into whether the car-free project is feasible.
The Saudi government’s new initiative could cast further doubt on the future of The Line.
Earlier in April, The Financial Times reported that the CEO of the NEOM project himself had launched a “major review” of the entire mega-project.
The NEOM project includes luxury hotels, ski resorts and the city of The Line—all part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan, which aims to diversify the country’s economy and reduce its dependence on oil revenues.
Bloomberg also reported that in 2024, the Saudi government decided to scale back the project, which was initially expected to house 1.5 million people by 2030. It is now estimated that only 300,000 people will live there by 2030, and only 2.4 kilometers of the city will be completed by then.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the project with great enthusiasm in 2021. In a video, he showed major historical discoveries—such as the moon landing and the advent of the internet—and asked, “What’s next?”
The video shows the Crown Prince coming on TV and answering, “The Line.”
