The Line - Saudi Arabia’s Futuristic Megacity

The Line, announced in 2021, is a 170 km (105 miles) long linear city that would link the Red Sea Coast with the northwest of Saudi Arabia. It is the most well-known of the Neom projects. Dreamed up as a city that would eventually be home to about 9 million people, The Line is part of a wider Neom project that includes other futuristic places such as Oxagon - a floating industrial city, Trojena - a ski resort in the desert, and Sindalah - a luxury island resort. Ambitions for The Line have captured the attention of city planners and architects from around the world.

Renderings have shown a city that's longer than the distance between New York and Philadelphia and is all contained within mirrored structures that would be taller than the Empire State Building. A high-speed rail similar to the Hyperloop will connect sections of The Line, allowing people to travel from one end of the city to the other in just 20 minutes. The city will run entirely on renewable energy with the aid of artificial intelligence with no roads, cars or carbon emissions, making it a fully sustainable city. The construction is progressing but the city still exists only on a website and a press announcement made by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud. Despite the flashy announcement many design experts believe that the technology for such a city does not exist yet.

Construction of The Line officially began in late 2021, with excavation and groundwork taking priority. By 2023, satellite images revealed massive earthworks, the development of worker camps, and the start of foundation work along the coastline of the Red Sea. The excavation and foundation reinforcement efforts have intensified with heavy machinery preparing the desert terrain for vertical construction. Neom has described its earthworks and piling operations as the world's biggest.

An infographic posted by Neom stated that 260 excavators and 2,000 trucks were working 24/7 to move the material from the site. Work on the foundation piles is also progressing, with nearly 1,000 out of over 30,000 piles placed so far. Workers are due to start pouring the foundation of the first phase of The Line anytime now. Neom authorities have also commissioned a new $190 million concrete multi-plant factory that is capable of producing up to 700,000 cubic feet of concrete per day, most of which will be for The Line with the remainder going to other Neom projects. Additionally, according to the Arabian Gulf Business Insight, the project is currently using 20% of all the steel currently produced in the world, which is an incredible statistic. Indeed, Neom creators expect the project to continue to be the world's largest customer of building materials for decades.

When The Line was first announced in 2021, Saudi Arabia envisioned an entirely completed 170 km long mega city, housing 1.5 million residents by 2030. However, as construction progresses, it has become clear that this timeline is overly ambitious. In response the officials have scaled down the initial vision, adopting a phased approach to ensure feasibility and investor confidence. As of 2025, the focus has shifted to completing the Hidden Marina, the initial segment of the city. This marks a significant adjustment from the original plan but allows for better resource allocation, technological refinement, and infrastructural testing before full-scale expansion.

Despite these adjustments, Saudi Arabia remains committed to completing The Line. Neom officials have reaffirmed that The Line is going to be over 100 km long and 1.2 km wide by 2045. The success of the initial segment will determine whether the full vision can eventually be realized or if further modifications will be necessary.

The Hidden Marina, the first major residential district of the futuristic mega city, is an exciting development. Located along the Red Sea, this 2.4 km segment is designed to serve as a prototype for the larger city, showcasing the cutting-edge architecture, smart infrastructure, and sustainability features that will define The Line. As of 2025, construction on the Hidden Marina is well underway, with drone footage revealing extensive excavation, foundation work, and large-scale structural developments.

This district is expected to accommodate around 200,000 residents by 2030, significantly scaling down initial projections but ensuring a more realistic and phased construction approach. The Hidden Marina is envisioned as a luxury coastal hub integrating automated public transport, AI-powered services, and green energy solutions. The area will feature ultra modern residences, high-end commercial spaces, and waterfront recreational zones providing a glimpse into the lines and ambitious lifestyle serving as a testing ground for the broader city. The Hidden Marina's progress is being closely monitored. If successful, it will set the standard for future expansion, however, challenges such as engineering complexities, environmental considerations, and financial constraints could influence the pace and scale of its completion.

As construction progresses, The Line is set to play a pivotal role in Saudi Arabia's hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup. As part of The Line's bold vision. Neom Stadium is set to become one of the most technologically advanced sports venues in the world, and it is set to host matches for the FIFA World Cup 2034. Neom Stadium is expected to feature state-of-the-art architecture with sustainable construction materials, AI-powered crowd management, and climate-controlled environments to ensure optimal playing conditions. Its strategic location within The Line means that fans and players will have seamless access via high-speed autonomous transport, eliminating the need for cars or traditional road networks.

One of the Stadium's most groundbreaking aspects is its integration with The Line's vertical city model. Unlike conventional stadiums surrounded by vast parking lots, Neom Stadium will be embedded within the urban landscape with spectator seating, entertainment hubs, and hospitality areas vertically stacked for an ultra-efficient use of space. As preparations accelerate, Neom Stadium is poised to redefine the future of sports venues, demonstrating how AI, renewable energy, and futuristic design can transform global events, however, construction timelines remain tight, raising questions about whether the stadium will be fully operational by 2034.

Initial estimates projected that The Line would be fully operational by 2030; however, as plans evolved and construction challenges emerged, Neom officials revised the timeline, aiming for completion by 2045. However, as construction continued to progress, experts estimated that completing the full vision could take up to 100 years. The sheer scale, complexity, and financial demands of the project make rapid development impractical, leading to a more extended and phased approach.

For the first 2.4 km segment, the Hidden Marina is expected to be completed by 2030, yet at this pace, expanding to the full 9 million-person capacity could take several generations. Engineering challenges such as constructing a mirrored AI-integrated city in the desert require ongoing technological breakthroughs. Additionally, logistics, environmental concerns, and workforce constraints mean that building at full scale will take far longer than initially expected. Financial constraints also play a role. The Line's cost has already ballooned from $500 billion to $1 trillion, and attracting long-term investors is crucial for sustained progress. While Saudi Arabia remains committed to the project, The Line is likely to be an evolving, century-long mega project gradually transforming urban development over decades rather than within a single generation.

While full completion remains decades away, The Line's success will depend on continued investment, technological breakthroughs, and strategic global partnerships. If Saudi Arabia manages to overcome its engineering, financial, and environmental challenges, The Line could redefine urban development for the 21st century and beyond. If successful, the line could revolutionize how cities are built and function, setting a blueprint for future smart cities worldwide. However, its feasibility remains under scrutiny, and the coming years will determine whether The Line will become a historic success or an ambitious mirage in the desert.

Saudi Arabia’s The Line - the mega city project that is making rounds in news all over the world, once completed will revolutionize the country’s entire landscape marking a more reformed vision. However, transforming this science fiction dream into reality comes with monumental challenges. So, let’s see how Saudi Arabia will push forward this aspirational goal to success within the promised time and with all the envisioned characteristics and features.