Saudi Arabia’s Neom project, once heralded as a revolutionary 170-kilometer-long linear city stretching across the desert, has captivated the world with its audacious vision since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled it in 2017. Dubbed “The Line,” this flagship component of the broader Neom initiative promised a car-free, carbon-neutral metropolis housed within twin mirrored skyscrapers, towering 500 meters high and designed to accommodate 9 million residents by 2045. Backed by an initial $500 billion from the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Neom aimed to redefine urban living and diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy under Vision 2030. Yet, as of early 2025, the project stands at a crossroads—scaled back, mired in controversy, and wrestling with financial and ethical realities that threaten its utopian aspirations. This investigative update delves into the latest developments, challenges, and human costs of Neom, piecing together a story of ambition clashing with pragmatism.
Ground was broken. Still looks the same today.
Construction on Neom, Saudi Arabia’s ambitious megacity project, began in stages, with initial groundwork starting in 2019. The broader Neom initiative was launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in October 2017, but physical construction activities commenced later as planning and preparatory work took precedence.
The first tangible steps toward construction occurred in early 2019, focusing on infrastructure and enabling projects. On January 29, 2019, Saudi Arabia established Neom as a closed joint-stock company wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), signaling the transition from vision to execution. Development work on Neom Bay, including the Sharma airport, was planned to start in the first quarter of 2019, with completion targeted for 2020, though delays pushed this timeline. Posts on X from NEOM in August 2018 emphasized that foundations, masterplans, and environmental assessments were being finalized before construction, indicating that significant on-site activity began in 2019.
For “The Line,” the flagship 170-kilometer linear city within Neom, excavation and earthworks started in 2021. NEOM’s urban planning director, Tarek Qaddumi, confirmed to Designboom in early 2023 that construction of “the spine”—an infrastructure corridor running the length of The Line—began in 2021. Drone footage from October 2022, released by Ot Sky, further showcased excavators digging a wide trench in the desert, marking the onset of foundational work for The Line. Posts on X from NEOM in February 2024 highlighted the scale of these earthworks, calling it the “largest earthworks and piling operation in the world” at that time.
Other Neom regions saw construction milestones later. Sindalah, a luxury island resort, had groundwork underway by 2021, with significant progress by 2023, leading to its partial opening in October 2024. Trojena, set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, saw contracts for an artificial lake signed in January 2024, with building activity intensifying thereafter.
In summary, while Neom’s conceptual phase began in 2017, physical construction started in 2019 with initial infrastructure projects like Neom Bay, followed by The Line’s excavation in 2021, marking the broader onset of this megaproject’s development as of March 16, 2025.
A Scaled-Back Vision
The most striking update came in April 2024, when Bloomberg reported that The Line’s grand 170-kilometer expanse had been drastically curtailed to a mere 2.4 kilometers for its first phase, expected by 2030. Saudi officials initially aimed for 1.5 million residents by that date, but projections now hover below 300,000. Sources familiar with the project, cited by Bloomberg, attributed this downsizing to financial constraints, with the 2024 Neom budget still unapproved as of mid-March 2025. The Wall Street Journal later estimated in November 2024 that completing Neom by 2080 could cost $8.8 trillion—over 25 times Saudi Arabia’s annual budget—highlighting a fiscal chasm that has rattled planners.
Construction updates paint a mixed picture. Aerial photos from February 2024, shared by Neom’s Chief Operating Officer Giles Pendleton, showed vast earthworks stretching across the Tabuk desert, with 260 excavators and 2,000 trucks moving material around the clock. Pendleton’s mid-March 2024 assertion that “Neom is real” aimed to silence doubters, yet progress remains uneven. Sindalah, a luxury island resort within Neom, opened in October 2024 with a $45 million launch party attended by celebrities like Will Smith and Tom Brady. However, its golf course and hotels remain unfinished, and the event’s glamour masked deeper troubles. The Line’s first half-mile section, including a stadium, is now slated for 2034—far short of the original timeline.
Future Society: Saudi Arabia’s 100-Mile Skyscraper Is Turning Into a Disaster
Who could’ve seen this coming?
The Saudi crown family’s megalomaniac dreams of building a gigantic city of the future in the middle of the desert are getting a brutal reality check.
Saudi Arabia’s plans for Neom, a futuristic fever dream which includes a massive all-inclusive resort on the coast, a second ski resort in the mountains, and an up to 106 miles-long pair of 1,600-foot skyscrapers called The Line, is running into major financial problems.
As the Wall Street Journal reports, capital expenditure estimates to build Neom to what officials call its “end-state” by 2080 have ballooned to $8.8 trillion, which is over 25 times the kingdom’s annual budget.
Worse yet, an audit report reviewed by the newspaper found that officials were trying to fudge the numbers to hide evidence of the project’s ballooning costs. The audit found “evidence of deliberate manipulation” of finances by “certain members of management.”
It’s a damning new development that highlights the grandiose and unrealistic goals set by Neom’s main advocate, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Financial Strain and Leadership Shakeups
Neom’s financial woes reflect broader economic pressures on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter. The PIF, which funds Neom, saw its cash reserves drop to $15 billion by September 2024—the lowest since December 2020—prompting the kingdom to borrow and plan a Saudi Aramco share sale. Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan admitted in December 2024 that timelines for Neom had been “extended” to ease economic strain, a rare public acknowledgment of the project’s ballooning costs. An internal audit, reported by the Wall Street Journal in March 2025, uncovered “deliberate manipulation” of financial figures by Neom managers, including inflated resort prices (e.g., a hiking hotel room jumping from $489 to $1,866 per night) to mask overruns.
Leadership instability has compounded these issues. In November 2024, Neom CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr stepped down abruptly, weeks after a documentary alleged tens of thousands of worker deaths—a claim Saudi officials dismissed as “misinformation” but which fueled speculation of internal discord. His replacement remains unannounced, leaving a void at a critical juncture. Posts on X in early 2025 noted the exit of other executives with controversial pasts, suggesting Neom has become a magnet for risk-takers willing to navigate its chaos.
Human Rights Shadows
Beneath Neom’s futuristic veneer lies a grim human cost. The Huwaitat tribe, native to the Tabuk region, has faced forced evictions to clear land for the Line. In 2020, activist Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti was shot dead by security forces after resisting displacement, an incident the government claimed was self-defense but which rights groups decried as murder. ALQST, a Saudi human rights organization, estimates 20,000 tribe members have been uprooted, with little clarity on relocation plans. Alia Hayel Aboutiyah al-Huwaiti, a London-based tribal activist, told The Guardian in 2020, “Neom is being built on our blood, on our bones,” a sentiment echoed in 2025 as evictions continue.
Labor conditions have also drawn scrutiny. A May 2024 ITV documentary citing a former intelligence officer alleged Saudi forces were “licensed to kill” to clear villages, while ex-executives described a “climate disaster” of overworked migrant workers. Estimates of 21,000 worker deaths since 2017, though contested, have spotlighted the project’s reliance on foreign labor under harsh conditions. Posts on X in September 2024 highlighted influencers vlogging from Neom’s “Community 1,” only to face backlash when their polished depictions clashed with reports of exploitation.
The massive infrastructure project NEOM sits in the Saudi Arabian desert. ABC Australia’s Matt Bevan takes a look.
Engineering Feats and Skepticism
Despite setbacks, Neom boasts engineering milestones. The Line’s foundation work, peaking at 60 piles a day in 2023, and Trojena’s $4.7 billion artificial lake contract with WeBuild (signed January 2024) showcase ambition. Trojena, set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games, promises ski slopes in a desert where temperatures drop below zero—an audacious feat. Yet, experts question feasibility. The original 170-kilometer Line required more glass and steel than entire cities, a logistical nightmare now mitigated but not resolved by its reduced scope. Rising costs and a lack of foreign investment—$26 billion in 2023 against a 2030 goal of $100 billion annually—further dim prospects.
A Mirage in the Making?
Neom’s allure persists. Sindalah’s opening and plans for Oxagon, a floating industrial hub, keep the dream alive, backed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s vision of a “civilizational revolution.” Yet, the reality is stark: a project once pitched as a 170-kilometer marvel is now a 2.4-kilometer fragment, its budget spiraling, its leadership faltering, and its human toll mounting. Saudi officials deny scalebacks, but the evidence—financial strain, incomplete phases, and silenced voices—suggests a reckoning. As one X user quipped in March 2025, “Neom’s a sci-fi script where the budget ran out mid-scene.”
For now, Neom teeters between fantasy and failure, a testament to ambition’s limits in a desert where dreams meet dust. Whether it rises as a beacon of innovation or crumbles as a cautionary tale remains an open question—one that 2025 has yet to answer.
Meanwhile … here are photos of dirt, dirt, dirt, and more dirt.
Via Megaprojects at YouTube: Neom: An Update on the World’s Most Ridiculous City (It’s Still Ridiculous…)
DeCode YouTube Channel, Premiered Sep 8, 2024: In this video, they explore the latest updates on The Line project in Neom. Rumors say it’s being scaled back from 105 miles to just 2.4 km. They dive into the truth behind these claims, the construction progress, and the challenges Neom is facing. Is the future of The Line in danger?