Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is silencing critics with a spectacular video showcasing the progress of his jaw-dropping Neom The Line project worth $500 billion, a vertical Manhattan in the making. Planned to be 170 km long, it will consist of two parallel towers, each 500 meters tall...
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video should be worth millions. Neom certainly believes it's better to show the world proof of its visionary gigaproject and has released another progress video for The Line in Saudi Arabia. By 2030, the first phase of The Line project will be completed, according to an executive director. Alongside visual proof, the enthusiasm of Denis Hickey, Chief Development Officer of The LINE, can be felt. He stated: "The energy within Saudi Arabia at the moment is incredible. We've done a lot of foundational work, both literally and metaphorically. I think the construction of The Line project is unique in terms of its industrial nature and modular approach."
Since 2017, the revolutionary Neom City has been grabbing media attention. While it bewildered most, it also awakened cynics, especially when it comes to the futuristic and innovative project, The Line. According to Designboom, millions of cubic meters of earth and water are being moved each week. This relentless activity will shape a city unlike any other, sooner or later.
"We believe there's an opportunity to create a better model for a city to interact with the landscape, nature, and the environment," Hickey added. The Line is undoubtedly the flagship project of the $1 trillion mega-development that will host 9 million inhabitants in a world that is sustainable, extraordinary, car-free, and packed with futuristic technology. The Line megacity will feature two 120-kilometer-long skyscrapers designed by the American studio Morphosis. Allegedly, they will feature a giant fake moon, animatronic dinosaurs, robot farmers, and tropical rainforests. Interestingly, residents will have access to all daily necessities within a five-minute walk, along with additional high-speed rail. While the first phase may indeed be completed by 2030, the entire project will be realized over a period of 50 years.
Megaprojects are draining the kingdom's treasury
Behind every ambition is a visionary; for Neom City, it was Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who transformed his kingdom from an oil-rich state into a nation undergoing tremendous growth and becoming a hub of luxury tourism. While there is incredible progress, dreams have not yet taken tangible form and are often met with cynics and harsh realities. Extreme and expensive projects have led Saudi Arabia to begin borrowing funds for megaprojects, including Neom, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which was funneling huge amounts of money into these projects, is now facing a crisis.
The wealth has decreased to its lowest level since December 2020, with about $15 billion on hand, The Journal reported. For the first time in history, the oil-rich kingdom is borrowing funds while simultaneously selling shares in the state oil company Aramco, according to the report. Even Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan was in favor of delaying some projects to mitigate inflationary pressures and help alleviate procurement issues. Neom City is evidently not one of them, as the new progress video shows work is in full swing.
