Saudi Arabia’s futuristic 100-mile long mega city ‘The Line’ may never be fully completed

Saudi Arabia's plans for a 100-mile city have been put on pause as the country struggles to afford the billion-dollar development.

Governments do love to promise a huge project and never deliver, with the completely unnecessary HS2 train project from London to Birmingham delayed regularly over the last six years, while over in Malaysia, a futuristic city has been turned into a 'ghost town' after construction there was never completed.

Thanks to Saudi Arabia's rich oil reserves, nobody really bat an eyelid when it was announced that they were planning a $2 trillion (yes you read that right) project as it aims to become a hub for tourism, technology and sporting events.

The Crown Prince has taken on a lot of projects in Saudi Arabia (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Part of that plan, which was first revealed by the Saudi government back in 2016, involved the construction of a huge 1,6000ft tall city in Neom, known as The Line.

Launched by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the city promised to eventually host nine million people and also run completely on renewable energy, with no roads, cars or emissions.

However, as the cost of oil languishes at just $60 per barrel, compared to a previous price of around $100, officials have now confirmed that they've had to put a hold on manufacturing the massive city.

Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh last week, one official said: “We spent too much. We rushed at 100 miles an hour. We are now running deficits. We need to reprioritise.”

It is perhaps no surprise that things have been paused as the government was initially hopeful that things would be finished by 2030, but we later learned that only those living in the 2100s might get to witness it. And frankly, given the way the world is going, it'll be a surprise if anyone lives as long as that.

Satellite images captured the city last month (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025)

The idea of building a city to be 100 miles long proved to be as ridiculous as most of us first thought, and now it seems like it will only be a few miles long at most, if construction on it ever even finishes.

It isn't the only project that looks set to fall short, as Saudi Arabia also held hopes of hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which was set to feature man-made snow using water from a man-made lake, and even that baffling scientific plan has proven to be too much, with South Korea now likely to host the games in their place.

Saudi Arabia are still planning to host the 2034 World Cup, with some accusing the country of biting off more than it can chew when it comes to extravagant projects, but officials have suggested that they're just prioritising some projects more than others, particularly those that focus on AI and technology.

So, if you were holding out for a spot in Saudi Arabia's 100-mile city, your best hope is renting somewhere which your great great grandkids might one day be fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to enjoy. But as it stands, it's difficult to see how this mega-city will ever be finished.