Aerial images shared recently by Giles Pendleton, The Line's operations director, show that the world's largest construction site is indeed active. The basic infrastructure is beginning to take shape in the sand, with the installation of more than 60 wind turbines and living quarters built for the thousands of workers involved.
Neom faces its excesses
The Line, intended to accommodate nine million inhabitants, is based on a radical idea: two parallel mirror skyscrapers, 170 kilometers long, 500 meters high, and 200 meters wide, set in the middle of a desert expanse, without cars or streets, powered solely by renewable energy. Designed to embody the city of the future, it is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 program.
But while the photos give the impression of a project moving forward, the behind-the-scenes story tells a much more chaotic story. The grand launch of the luxury Sindalah Island last October—attended by celebrities and superyachts—did little to conceal the true state of the site: unfinished hotels, strong winds, and empty restaurants. According to several sources, the party cost $45 million, and the prince, who was absent, reportedly disapproved of the project's progress.
The Neom project, of which The Line is the centerpiece, is currently estimated to cost $8.8 trillion to complete by 2080—more than 25 times Saudi Arabia's annual budget. An internal audit even cited "deliberate manipulation" in financial projections, including deliberately inflated profitability assumptions.
McKinsey, which is involved in both planning and validating the business models, finds itself at the center of criticism. One of the most striking examples concerns the Trojena ski resort, where revenue forecasts were dramatically revised upwards to compensate for a cost explosion.
Tensions are also being felt internally. Executives who expressed doubts about schedules or cost estimates have been sidelined. Even The Line's original architect, Thom Mayne, never got a meeting with the prince to discuss the project's financial viability.
One of the most contentious issues remains the height of the buildings. Several engineers tried to convince management to reduce the size of the towers to limit costs, without success: the prince insisted that the 500 meters be maintained, even if it meant looking for savings elsewhere.
While Neom was supposed to deliver 10 kilometers of The Line by 2030, the first section will ultimately measure only half a kilometer and will not open until 2034, according to the new targets. This portion is expected to house a stadium capable of hosting World Cup matches.
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