Featured Image Credit: Matrax
Topics: Saudi Arabia, The Line, Technology
Joshua Nair
The Line might be the most ambitious real estate project in modern history, even branded as 'impossible' by many, but it's making progress.
Located in Saudi Arabia, the £800 billion city is planned to span 170km (105 miles) by the time of its completion, while having a width of just 200 metres.
It's unique to say the least, and while developers Neom planned to have it completed by 2030, it looks like they've quickly back-tracked after realising the scale of the task at hand.
Neom executives have admitted that it could take up to 100 years to complete and fill the line, which seems a bit far off the original goal of five years' time.
However, following Saudi Arabia's successful World Cup bid, it looks like there's a date to aim for to get something significant done.
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The project has been described by Neom's social media accounts as a place that will 'transform how we live' as it will 'redefine liveability', and while it will fall short of having nine million residents by 2030, it is well on its way to making significant progress in a short amount of time.
New satellite images of the city have now been released, via Business Insider.
Work on The Line has progressed significantly, despite officials close to Neom admitting that just 1.5 miles of the project would be complete by 2030.
Hundreds of trucks can be seen travelling to and from the project in the Saudi desert, shifting tonnes of dirt.
First announced in 2021, the area is being constructed in the Tabuk province of the country, with a number of futuristic aspects headlining the project, such as a mirror skyscraper and buildings floating over the private Neom Marina.
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And the Marina, of course, is for residents of The Line to park their superyachts, before heading to the private beach, the luxury golf resort on site, or up to the sports stadium.
A lot of the technology being used for the project has been kept secret, while many experts have questioned Neom's capabilities and the tech's existence.
The idea for the city came from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wanting to move the country's economy away from its reliance on oil, which is finite, leading to his significant investment into the project.
It has also been suggested that the final cost of the whole project may be closer to £2 trillion if they build everything as planned.