Saudi Arabia the Line, a $500 Billion project. Saudi Arabia, the line city.
The Line is a part of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030; The construction of The Line city is underway as of March 2024.
According to the official website for NEOM, projects like THE LINE, Oxagon, Sindalah and Trojena is moving forward quickly, while initial foundation work, like excavation is underway. The main project, THE LINE, construction work is also underway in the initial phase.
• The LINE project is the most unrealistic looking construction project in the Middle East, after projects like construction of Dubai's Burj Khalifa and man-made island.
What is The LINE?
The line is a futuristic city project and part of vision 2030 (planning to reduce dependency on oil, and diversify economy) of Saudi Arabia.
The project is unparalleled in both social and economic experimentation, as it gives option to the humanity to live without pollution and traffic accidents. The city will provide a world-class healthcare system, so people will live longer.
What you need to know:
• The construction of the 170 kilometre (ca. 106 mi) long city is predicted to cost $500 billions, and some other estimates claims the building cost may go as high as $1 trillion.
It is claimed by the Saudi government that it will create 460,000 jobs, it will help economical diversification, and contribute $48 billion or around 180 billion in Saudi Arab Riyal (SAR) to domestic GDP by 2030.
The Line is located within NEOM in the northwest of the Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea with diverse terrain that includes red-desert expanses and snow topped mountains that have views of the gulf of AQABA.
The line Structure and Dimensions:
The line will be home to 9 million residence, the carbon footprint will be zero, it would be one of the USP of the project.
The line will be built on a footprint of just 34 square kilometres. This will result in a reduced infrastructure footprint, creating never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions.
The line will achieve the zero carbon footprint with the help of the design of the city, the city will be car free or will eliminate the requirement of personal vehicle to transport.
The city will enable people to get access to all the daily needs within five minutes walk.
40% of the world will be in reach by air, with a travel time of just 6 hours.
The projected city will pass through 3 different regions, Coastal desert, mountains, and upper valley.
The planned city will consist of three layers, one on the surface for pedestrians, one underground for infrastructure, and another underground for transportation. The transportation layer will enable the residents to travel from one end of the city to another.
The layer will include a high-speed rail system, which it is claimed will allow people to travel from one end of the city to the other in 20 minutes.
The Line will be consisted of two mirrored buildings with an outdoor space in between, The city will be divided into modules.
95% of land will be preserved for nature.
The line will be 500 (1,600 ft) meters tall, which will make it the third-tallest building in the country, after the Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower and the proposed Jeddah Tower, and approximately the 12th tallest building in the world.
The line will be 200 metres (660 ft) wide and 170 km long, the city will be entirely covered from both the sides with mirror glass facade, which would be its beauty feature.
Initial earthworks began in October 2021 and the first residents were expected to move in during 2024.
Use of Technology:
The autonomous services will be delivered to residents with the help of AI technology, which would promote ease of living. Artificial intelligence will monitor the city and would find ways to improve daily life for its citizens, the residents would be paid for submitting data to The Line.
The city will have a controlled, engineered natural climate, meaning the city will release warm air outside and cool air will be absorbed in, creating a natural ventilation.
To ensure the establishment of microclimatic spaces, the environment has been carefully designed to allow for an optimal balance of sunlight, shade and natural ventilation. Furthermore, the green open spaces throughout the city will further enhance the comfort for those living, working and visiting here.
The city will entirely powered by renewable energy, and water supply.
The rail would be required to run at a speed of 512 km/h, to complete the travel of 170 km in 20 minutes, without any stoppage.
Saudi Prince bin Salman vision The Line.
Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, said the following:
“THE LINE will tackle the challenges facing humanity in urban life today and will shine a light on alternative ways to live. We cannot ignore the liveability and environmental crises facing our world’s cities, and NEOM is at the forefront of delivering new and imaginative solutions to address these issues. NEOM is leading a team of the brightest minds in architecture, engineering, and construction to make the idea of building upwards a reality.”
The Saudi crown prince and the de facto ruler bin Salman first revealed his ambitious program the Line on January 10, 2021, it was broadcast on state television.
Bin Salman is also the Chairman of the NEOM Board of Directors, the project is under way and the first footage came out in October 2022. The drone footage released by Ot Sky extensive excavation works were taking place along the entire length of the project.