THE LINE

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Construction has commenced on The Line.

You may have seen ads for the line on the internet although a detailed explanation is never given.

Some facts and pics . . .

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• The Line is a proposed smart linear city in Saudi Arabia in Neom.

• It is designed to have no cars, streets or carbon emissions and is 170-kilometres (110 miles) long.

• It is part of the Saudi Vision 2030 project, which Saudi Arabia claims will create 380,000 jobs and add $48 billion to the country's GDP.

• The Line will be the first development in Neom, a planned $500 billion city. The city's plans anticipate a population of 9 million.

• As of October 2022, excavation work had started along the entire length of the project.

• Upon completion, The Line will preserve 95% of the nature within Neom. Its planned nine million residents will result in a population density of 260,000 people per square kilometre. By comparison, Manila was the world's most densely populated city as of 2019, with a density of 44,000/km2.

• The Line's plan consists of two mirrored buildings with an outdoor space in between, having a total width of 200 metres (660 ft) and a total height of 500 metres (1,600 ft). The city will be divided into nodes. All daily services are designed to be reachable within a 5-minute walk.

• The city will also be powered entirely by renewable energy. The Line will consist of three layers, including one on the surface for pedestrians, one underground for infrastructure, and another underground for transportation. The transportation layer will include a high-speed rail system, which is claimed to allow people to go from one side of the city to the other side in 20 minutes. Without accounting for stops, this would require an average speed of 512 km/h, which is faster than any existing high-speed rail at the time of announcement.

• Artificial intelligence will monitor the city and use predictive and data models to figure out ways to improve daily life for citizens.

• The community of millions will also be fed through vertical farming that will be integrated into the walls of the shiny buildings.

• Estimated building cost is US$100–200 billion (400–700 billion SAR), with some estimates as high as $1 trillion. It is claimed by the Saudi government that it will create 380,000 jobs.

• When fully completed, the skyscraper will run from the Gulf of Aqaba, through a mountain range, and then extend along the coast into a desert 'aerotropolis'.

• The plan for The Line was announced on January 10, 2021, by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

• Questions have been raised about the merits of the design and environmental issues, with critics concerned the project would create a "dystopian" and "artificial" facility that has already displaced the Huwaitat indigenous tribe and would impact the migration of birds and wildlife.

• The effect on the ecosystem and upon wildlife have been major concerns, along with the carbon footprint.

• Digital rights researchers have characterized the city's data collection scheme as tantamount to a "surveillance city", due to arrangements that distort consent to sharing data, and because Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record implies potential abuse of data.

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Some pics . . .

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The project was launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and will be part of the vast desert complex of Neom, which will also feature an artificial ski resort, a 100-mile vertical city, an octagonal floating port city, flying elevators, a swimming lane for commuters and robots and AI to serve its future residents. Pictured: A plan of how The Line may look.

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Artist impressions . . . 

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Work begins . . .

Excavators begin digging the trench

The huge trench can be seen going into the distance as foundations for the megacity are dug out

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