Saudi Arabia project NEOM’s linear city slowly takes shape

NEOM has given rare media access to Al Arabiya to show off progress at The Line, its wildly ambitious 170-kilometer linear city project.

The Saudi broadcaster’s report was strong on glossy renderings of what the city might eventually look like, but the current reality is more prosaic, with foundations being laid and vertical construction still months away.

The publicity push follows reports that the project was being downsized and delayed — officials told Al Arabiya: “The Line has never been scaled back.” The first phase, due to be completed by 2034, will be 2.4 kilometers long and 500 metres high with 80,000 homes, 9,000 hotel rooms, and a stadium for the 2034 men’s soccer World Cup.