THE future of the $1 trillion megacity The Line is hanging on by a thread as Saudi rulers are checking the “feasibility” of the mad scandal-hit vanity project.
The mirrored city was to extend 106 miles and house 1.5 million residents – but this was later reduced by a laughable 99 per cent to stretch just 1.5 miles and house only 300,000 people.



The wildly ambitious Neom is set to become a Saudi region that will be characterised by numerous cities, lavish resorts, and other tourism-based real estate developments.
Within the site is to be The Line – a sideways skyscraper that is supposed to “shine a light on alternative ways to live”.
Now, Saudi Arabia has desperately asked consulting firms to review its plans to build the bizarre city.
The ultra-rich kingdom’s public investment fund, or PIF, asked consultants to determine whether its extravagant building plans are actually feasible, insiders told Bloomberg.
The government could decide that no changes are necessary and the project can continue as planned, sources said.
And any changes would have to be agreed by executives at the PIF followed by the government itself.
Embarrassed Neom said in a statement: “As is typical with large-scale, multi-year projects, strategic reviews are common practice and occur several times over the course of a major development project or infrastructure program.
“The Line remains a strategic priority and Neom is focused on maintaining operational continuity, improving efficiencies and accelerating progress to match the overall vision and objectives of the project.”
The assessment emphasises just how much the kingdom looks to revise project under its Vision 2030 plan to reshape the economy.
As oil prices lower and foreign investments become weaker, alongside budget shortfalls, Saudi Arabia has been forced to make tough decisions on what it wants to prioritise and at what pace is taken.
And The Line isn’t the only Saudi mega-project that’s struggling to bear fruit.
Fellow Neom development, Sindalah, is sitting dormant despite being launched last year.
The project was the first to open at Neom but was halted over various issues like design flaws, sources added to Bloomberg.
LIFE ON ‘THE LINE’
The Line is to be a car-free, three-dimensional and high-density metropolis that challenges conventional urban planning, a top boss on the build said a few months ago.
Neom Chief Development Officer Denis Hickey shed light on Saudi Arabia’s crown jewel construction and what life would be like living inside the revolutionary urban environment.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the boss offered an in-depth look at some of the details of the city such as its “innovative transport network”, and the ability to move not only horizontally but vertically.
Hickey said: “The Line is not just about compact urban living; it’s about redefining city life to prioritise human well-being over congestion.”
The boss explained that instead of sprawling neighbourhoods, the city will be a linear, vertical “landscraper” structure with modular sections stacked on top of one another to maximise space efficiency.



He continued: “Everything you need will be within a five-minute walk… schools, restaurants, workplaces, hospitals, and entertainment venues will all be immediately accessible without the need for a car.”
The megaproject will be 500 metres tall, and create a canyon-like structure allowing residents to move upwards, downwards and sideways easily.
In a blow to motorheads, cars will not feature at all in the city in an attempt to reduce pollution – instead a high-speed transport system will take its place.
Hickey added: “Urban sprawl is outdated – we are moving beyond the old way of expanding cities by simply adding more roads.
“The Line will be the world’s first major city built without cars. Residents will travel via a high-speed underground rail network, general mass transit, and rapid vertical transportation.”
But the boss assured potential residents that the average commute within the whole city would be under 20 minutes from “anywhere inside The Line”.
One huge part of the project, which could attract Brits, is an ambitious futuristic football stadium, designed to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
“This will be a stadium like nothing seen before,” Hickey said. “The playing field will sit at the height of the Empire State Building, giving fans a completely new way to experience games—suspended in the sky with breathtaking views of the city.”
The stadium aims to broaden the spectrum of culture within the city and integrate different types of entertainment into the society.
The Line will also not be exclusive based on wealth, and targets a broad range of income levels, according to Hickey..
He said: “This is not Billionaires’ Row.
“We are designing a city where everyone, regardless of income level, has equal access to world-class urban living.
“In most cities, if you don’t live near the park or downtown, you miss out on the best amenities.
“In The LINE, every resident will have immediate access to green spaces, infrastructure, and cultural landmarks.”
The first part of the project, Hidden Marina, is set to house over 200,000 people, with essential infrastructure such as schools, places of worship, police and hospitals all seamlessly integrated into the urban area.
The revelations come as Saudi Arabia last year announced that the megacity won’t actually be ready for another 50 years.
The £1trillion project was originally supposed to be part of the country’s Vision 2030 plan, but it has been majorly pushed back, and only 1% of it will be completed by the end of this decade.
Saudi Arabia’s project has also been criticised for several major blunders that have raised concerns about its feasibility, ethics, and overall execution.
In 2024, an ITV documentary revealed that 21,000 workers had died working in the country since Vision 2030 was announced in 2016.
Neom, which includes The Line, is the project’s flagship build.


The mirrored structure looks like something out of a sci-fi film[/caption]
Hickey ended the talk by reaffirming that The Line is under construction and is not “science fiction”.
“The Line is becoming a reality,” he said.
‘BUILT ON BLOOD’
Beneath NEOM’s glitzy facade lies a story of threats, forced evictions and bloodshed that cast a dark shadow over Saudi’s vanity project.
Many developments have faced fierce criticism over human rights abuses, where tribes were shoved out of their homeland, imprisoned or executed.
At least 20,000 members of the Huwaitat tribe face eviction, with no information about where they will live in the future.
For centuries, this indigenous community lived in the area designated for NEOM’s construction.
But what followed was a harsh crackdown on those who resisted leaving their homes.
The most tragic incident involved the killing of Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, a prominent tribal leader who opposed the forced removals.
His death at the hands of Saudi security forces in 2020 became a stark symbol of the lengths to which the kingdom was willing to go to push the project forward.
One campaigner claimed “Neom is built on Saudi blood”.
Authorities in the port city of Jeddah also demolished many houses to implement Saudi’s development plans – with thousands of locals evicted illegally.
Nader Hijazi – who decided to remain anonymous – grew up in Aziziyah, one of around 63 communities devastated by the demolitions.
His father’s house was demolished in 2021, and he received less than a month’s notice.
Hijazi said the photographs he saw of his previous neighbourhood were terrible, resembling a warzone.


Handout photo provided by Saudi Arabia’s NEOM shows the design plan for Line[/caption]
He told the BBC: “They’re waging a war on people, a war on our identities.”
Jeed Basyouni, Middle East director of the human rights organisation Reprieve, told DW: “We have seen, time and again, that anyone who disagrees with the crown prince, or gets in his way, risks being sentenced to jail or to death.”
In May, an ex-intelligence officer revealed how Saudi authorities allowed the use of lethal force to clear land for The Line.
Col Rabih Alenezi told the BBC he was given the order to drive out residents of a tribe in the Gulf state so that NEOM’s flagship project could be built.
After that, one of them was shot and murdered for protesting against eviction.
He said the April 2020 order stated the Huwaitat was made up of “many rebels” and “whoever continues to resist [eviction] should be killed, so it licensed the use of lethal force against whoever stayed in their home”.
Top 5 blunders plaguing NEOM project

By Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
Saudi Arabia’s NEOM project, despite its ambitious vision, has been criticized for several major blunders that have raised concerns about its feasibility, ethics, and overall execution.
Here are the top five major blunders associated with the project:
Forced Displacement of Indigenous Communities: One of the most significant controversies surrounding NEOM is the forced displacement of the Huwaitat tribe.
This indigenous community, which has lived in the area for centuries, was forcibly removed from their ancestral lands to make way for the development of the mega-city.
The Saudi government’s crackdown on those who resisted, including the killing of a tribal leader, Abdul Rahim al-Howeiti, has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organisations.
This blunder not only sparked international outrage but also tainted NEOM’s image as a forward-thinking, humane project.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability Concerns: NEOM has been marketed as an environmentally sustainable city, but the environmental impact of such a massive development is a major concern.
The project’s scale—covering over 26,500 square kilometers—poses significant risks to local ecosystems, particularly in the Red Sea, which is home to rich marine biodiversity.
Critics argue that the construction of artificial islands and extensive urbanisation could lead to irreversible ecological damage.
The enormous water and energy demands required to maintain a green city in the desert also raise questions about the project’s sustainability.
Economic Viability and Cost Overruns: NEOM is one of the most expensive development projects in history.
But there are serious doubts about its economic viability. Critics question whether the project can attract the necessary foreign investment and whether it will generate sufficient returns to justify the enormous expenditure.
The economic risks are further compounded by potential cost overruns and delays, which are common in megaprojects of this scale.
This financial gamble has led some to worry that NEOM could become a costly white elephant if it fails to meet its ambitious goals.
Technological Overreach and Ethical Concerns: NEOM is envisioned as a high-tech city, heavily reliant on artificial intelligence, robotics, and extensive surveillance systems.
While this technological ambition is central to NEOM’s identity, it also raises significant ethical concerns. The level of surveillance planned for the city could lead to unprecedented control over residents’ lives, sparking fears about privacy and civil liberties.
The lack of transparency about how AI will be used, coupled with concerns about job displacement, has also led to criticism that NEOM’s technological vision may be more dystopian than utopian.
Cultural and Social Disconnect: NEOM’s vision of a futuristic, liberalized society clashes sharply with Saudi Arabia’s deeply conservative cultural norms.
The project plans to introduce mixed-gender sports, entertainment events, and other liberal lifestyle elements that are rare in the kingdom.
This cultural shift has raised concerns about a potential clash between NEOM’s globalised vision and the traditional values of Saudi society.
The disconnect between the project’s ambitions and the broader cultural context has led to skepticism about whether NEOM can truly integrate into Saudi Arabia’s social fabric without causing significant friction.