PLANS for the world’s longest sideways skyscraper have been dealt a “big blow” – while new images showed the audacious project’s skeletal building site.
Saudi Arabia’s trillion-dollar megacity The Line has been plagued by scandal and setbacks – and now the NEOM project is facing another hitch.
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New images showed the bare-bones construction site in the Saudi dessert.
A concrete floor runs along the sand with little sight of activity – as the flagship city looks nowhere near complete.
And now, NEOM’s acting boss Aiman al-Mudaifer has said a “comprehensive review” of the ambitious build has been launched.
The review for Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s crown jewels scheme aims to look at the feasibility and priority of projects within the scheme.
The acting leader has also faced simmering backlash over his management style and pressure to deliver results.
One source close to the build said the main projects at NEOM were “in general going on”, but added that some were being “reviewed in terms of their scope”.
The source added the review was “taking place in a n environment of limited resources”, according to Financial Times.
“Some things were done that need to be looked at again,” they said.
The Line – which was originally planned to house 1.5 million people but will now only accommodate 300,000 – covers desert and mountains by the Red Sea.
It is part of the NEOM gigaproject, alongside other megalomaniac structures such as Oxagon, Zardun and Trojena.
The Saudi dream has struggled to meet deadlines and stay behind budget limits.
The Prince’s Vision 2030 programme aims to develop the kingdom with projects like these aiming to boost other sources of revenue.
It has also drawn scepticism for its unrealistic-ambition – and criticism for its alleged human rights abuses.
But another person close to the matter said the review was being conducted to “decide what to double down on”.
They said that it was related to “spending recalibration”.
Prince Mohamed serves as the de facto leader and chair of NEOM, which is owned by Saudi Arabia‘s Public Investment Fund worth £700billion.
Mudaifer was appointed as NEOM’s acting chief executive when the company was entering a “new phase of delivery”.
They said that his leadership would “ensure operational continuity, agility and efficiency to match the overall vision and objectives of the project”.
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But the wildly ambitious megacity is hurtling towards financial meltdown – and has now faced this “big blow”.
Flying taxis, ski resorts in the desert, and the 105-mile (170-kilometre) mirrored metropolis The Line are currently looking like a monument to hubris, mismanagement, and economic overreach.
It has a projected price tag of £6.9trillion.
And it comes after Trump’s tariffs – which could worsen its situation even more.
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.
Among its other scandals, satellite images analysed by Naraspace and ESA showed construction slowing across key NEOM sites.
While the Hidden Marina and wind farms near The Line show some signs of life, vast swathes of the project are going dark – literally.
Nighttime light intensity, used as a proxy for construction activity, has plummeted in the eastern development zones since last September.
Bloomberg reports Saudi officials now believe just 2.4 kilometres of the 170-km Line will be built by 2030.
Additionally, an ITV documentary alleged 21,000 migrant workers had died since 2016 under the Vision 2030 programme.
A Saudi health and safety body dismissed the documentary as “misinformation.”
