1001 Smart Cities
🇸🇦 NEOM

The Line

🤖 AI-generated summary · ◆ 12 sourced claims · 🔎 Last verified

This overview was generated with AI from the public sources listed below and checked against them before publication. It has not had a complete human fact-check — treat it as a starting point and follow the sources.

12 sourced claims on this page, none individually verified yet — turn on “Sources in the text” to see each one.

How this atlas is made · What “last verified” means · What “source-checked” means · The full record behind this page

A 170km linear city pitched for nine million residents became a 2.4km first phase for under 300,000, then a site halted until after 2030. The blueprint had outrun the engineering and the financing.

Outcome📉 Scaled back
Evidence📰 Mediagrades the sourcing — this entry states no impact figure
what does this mean?The strongest source is press reporting; no primary evaluation was located. It grades who did the looking — not how well the project went. All four grades →
Run byNEOM
Scale🏘️ District
CostNEOM as a whole was announced at $500bn in 2017; a consultant told Reuters in November 2024 that 'The Line alone was going to cost over a trillion', which is why it was scaled back. NEOM's own executives put region-wide infrastructure spending to date at more than $50bn (deputy CEO, January 2025) and more than SAR140bn ($37bn) (chief development officer, February 2025). No figure for The Line alone has been published by NEOM.

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Pitched in January 2021 as a 170km linear city with zero cars, zero streets and zero carbon emissions — nine million residents eventually, by NEOM's July 2022 design announcement — The Line was reported in April 2024 to have been scaled back to a 2.4km first phase for fewer than 300,000 people by 2030, against an earlier 1.5 million (Bloomberg). By November 2024 Reuters' sources said work was focused solely on that 2.4km stretch and its 2034 World Cup stadium. In July 2025 the Public Investment Fund put the project under a strategic review by outside consultants, which NEOM called common practice, and CNBC reported large sections frozen with the workforce cut by 35% since April. In May 2026 Semafor reported further work pushed back until after 2030; PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan had said in April that no NEOM project was cancelled, but that finishing The Line by 2030 was 'good to have, but it's not a must have'. In July 2026 NEOM's own web page dropped the nine-million and car-free promises for a 'phased, demand-led approach', and in October Reuters reported the stadium shelved indefinitely.

Suspended 📅 since 2021 🤖 Uses AI

🎓 Lesson

Announcing a hyper-ambitious mega-form before engineering and financing are proven invites a painful public correction: within four years The Line went from a 170km blueprint to a 2.4km first phase and then to a site halted until after 2030. (The often-cited $50bn is NEOM's own count of infrastructure spending across the whole region — its deputy CEO's figure in January 2025, a month before its chief development officer put the same tally at $37bn — not The Line alone.)

📡 Data & IoTArtificial intelligenceSmart districtsAutonomous vehicles

Sources

↗ NEOM (operator)Operator page as rewritten in 2026: The Line is 'a core component of NEOM's long-term vision' that 'is advancing through a phased, demand-led approach'. The page names no length, resident number or completion date.
↗ Bloomberg (press)Published 5 April 2024Broke the 2024 scale-back: officials expected 2.4km of The Line by 2030 and fewer than 300,000 residents, down from a hoped-for 1.5 million; at least one contractor had begun dismissing workers.
↗ New Civil Engineer (trade)Published 8 April 2024Trade report relaying Bloomberg: the 170km plan 'has been curtailed to 2.4km long', residents by 2030 cut from 1.5 million to fewer than 300,000, the 2024 NEOM budget not yet approved.
↗ Wikipedia — The Line, Saudi ArabiaEncyclopedia article with the project timeline, including the 2024 scale-back, the 2025 review and the May 2026 Semafor report.
↗ Gulf News — Saudi Crown Prince launches 'The Line' within NEOM project (10 Jan 2021)Launch report from the Saudi Press Agency statement: a 170km belt of communities 'without cars and roads', 'zero cars, zero streets, and zero Carbon emissions', 380,000 jobs and SR180bn of GDP by 2030, a city of a million residents.
Show 11 more sourcesShow fewer
↗ Khaleej Times — Crown Prince announces designs of The Line in Neom (25 Jul 2022)Design reveal: The Line 'is only 200 meters wide, 170 kilometres long and 500 meters above sea level' and 'will eventually accommodate 9 million residents' on a 34 km² footprint, with a five-minute walk to all facilities and a 20-minute end-to-end rail transit.
↗ Reuters — Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (13 Nov 2024)Three sources a day after CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr's departure: NEOM 'scaled down and broken into chunks'; work on The Line 'solely focused on finishing a 2.4 kilometre stretch including a stadium' for the 2034 World Cup final; a consultant said The Line alone 'was going to cost over a trillion which was why it's been scaled back'.
↗ Dezeen — Neom has cost more than $50 billion so far, says deputy CEO (Feb 2025)Published 15 February 2025NEOM deputy CEO Rayan Fayez at Davos: 'More than $50 billion has been spent so far building the basic infrastructure' of the NEOM region.
↗ AGBI — Neom spends $37bn on infrastructure development (17 Feb 2025)Chief development officer Denis Hickey at the PIF Private Sector Forum: NEOM 'has spent more than SAR140 billion ($37 billion) on infrastructure development so far'; The Line 'to be built in modular phases, is scheduled to open its first phase in 2030'.
↗ Semafor — Saudi considers NEOM job cuts, relocations amid cost pressures (18 Jul 2025)PIF, which 'so far has been providing the funding for its construction', was weighing workforce cuts and relocating 1,000+ staff to Riyadh; PIF's head of audit was leading a review of progress and spending; Bloomberg had reported a consultant being sought for a 'strategic review' of The Line; focus had shifted to 'completing a smaller part of the towers by 2030'.
↗ Gulf News — Saudi Arabia hits reset on NEOM: did costs for 'The Line' spiral out of control? (21 Jul 2025)NEOM confirmed the strategic review and 'described the strategic checks as common practice'; per Bloomberg, PIF 'hired external consultants to assess the viability of the linear city'; per CNBC, 'development has been frozen on large sections of The Line, with the number of active construction workers cut by 35% since April 2025'; per the WSJ, an internal report put NEOM's end-state cost at $8.8 trillion by 2080, with a $370bn first phase.
↗ AFP via Macau Business — Saudi investment official says Neom projects delayed, not cancelled (16 Apr 2026)AFP report of PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan's speech and Al Arabiya interview: 'No project in Neom has been cancelled'; 'Has anything been postponed? Yes, definitely'; 'Is it necessary for The Line to be completed by 2030? I don't think so. It's good to have, but it's not a must have.' Also records the 2022 pitch of over one million residents by 2030 and nine million by 2045.
↗ Gulf Construction — Mega projects update (1 May 2026)Trade roundup: 'Construction on The Line was suspended by Public Investment Fund (PIF) in September 2025, following a year-long strategic review. Only approximately 2.4 km of foundation work has been completed against the original 170 km vision'; the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena postponed indefinitely in January 2026; NEOM cancelled dam and tunnel contracts.
↗ Semafor — Saudi's NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030 (22 May 2026)Exclusive from people familiar with the matter: NEOM 'has delayed further work on The Line ... until at least after 2030' as PIF shifts spending to ports and data centres; the twin skyscrapers are being 'significantly' redesigned; NEOM-wide residents by 2030 now targeted at up to 100,000, after 1.5 million and then 300,000. NEOM did not respond to a request for comment.
↗ AGBI — Neom rebrands The Line as costs and complexity bite (13 Jul 2026)NEOM rewrote its website: renderings of the 500m glass structure replaced by landscape images; The Line now 'a core component' of a 'phased, demand-led approach'; 'Earlier references to housing 9 million people, operating without roads or cars and running entirely on renewable energy, no longer appear'. A NEOM spokesperson: 'We routinely update our digital platforms ... this should not be interpreted as signalling any change to our long-term vision'.
↗ Gulf News — Saudi Arabia's $2.5 billion NEOM stadium reportedly shelved (5 Oct 2026)Relays Reuters (4 Oct 2026): plans for the $2.5bn, 46,000-seat stadium inside The Line 'have now been shelved indefinitely'; MEED Projects lists it 'on hold' with no completion date; Al-Rumayyan 'said in April that The Line was no longer a priority and was not vital before 2030' while denying cancellations.

📅 How old is the evidence?

Two clocks, kept apart: when this entry’s sources were published, and what has happened to its record in the atlas. Documented span: since 2021. 14 of 16 sources carry a publication date, from 10 January 2021 to 5 October 2026.

When the sources were published

  1. Gulf News · pressGulf News — Saudi Crown Prince launches 'The Line' within NEOM project (10 Jan 2021)
  2. Khaleej Times · pressKhaleej Times — Crown Prince announces designs of The Line in Neom (25 Jul 2022)
  3. Bloomberg · pressBloomberg (press)
  4. New Civil Engineer · pressNew Civil Engineer (trade)
  5. Reuters · pressReuters — Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (13 Nov 2024)
  6. Dezeen · pressDezeen — Neom has cost more than $50 billion so far, says deputy CEO (Feb 2025)
  7. AGBI · pressAGBI — Neom spends $37bn on infrastructure development (17 Feb 2025)
  8. Semafor · pressSemafor — Saudi considers NEOM job cuts, relocations amid cost pressures (18 Jul 2025)
Show 6 more dated sourcesShow fewer
  1. Gulf News · pressGulf News — Saudi Arabia hits reset on NEOM: did costs for 'The Line' spiral out of control? (21 Jul 2025)
  2. Macau Business · pressAFP via Macau Business — Saudi investment official says Neom projects delayed, not cancelled (16 Apr 2026)
  3. Gulf Construction · pressGulf Construction — Mega projects update (1 May 2026)
  4. Semafor · pressSemafor — Saudi's NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030 (22 May 2026)
  5. AGBI · pressAGBI — Neom rebrands The Line as costs and complexity bite (13 Jul 2026)
  6. Gulf News · pressGulf News — Saudi Arabia's $2.5 billion NEOM stadium reportedly shelved (5 Oct 2026)

Every source, with links ↑

What happened to this record

  1. Entered the record
  2. Sources last read

Every revision, permanent →

Show your work What this page rests on and what it can’t tell you · all 12 claims with their sources · the forensic record

Evidence file · public beta 12 addressable claims, 16 source dossiers, one permanent baseline. The file is unreviewed — an AI-assisted structural migration, not a human or expert endorsement. Every revision keeps a permanent copy under revision history.

Inspect the claims, one by one — verbatim text, sources and caveats for all 12

The text below is copied verbatim from the published record. Each claim names the source dossiers that carry it; caveats stay attached to the claim they qualify.

Claim 1 clm-10b74f8f46f563ae quantitative
Pitched in January 2021 as a 170km linear city with zero cars, zero streets and zero carbon emissions
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Gulf News, 10 January 2021, reporting the Saudi Press Agency statement on the crown prince's launch: 'A 170km belt of hyper-connected future communities ... without cars and roads' and, in the crown prince's words, 'zero cars, zero streets, and zero Carbon emissions'.
Caveat
These are the launch promises, not a description of anything built.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf News — Saudi Crown Prince launches 'The Line' within NEOM project (10 Jan 2021)
Claim 2 clm-3f4bd1e0107fcc46 quantitative
nine million residents eventually, by NEOM's July 2022 design announcement
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Khaleej Times, 25 July 2022, on the design reveal: 'THE LINE will eventually accommodate 9 million residents and will be built on a footprint of 34 square kilometres'. AGBI (July 2026) confirms the nine-million figure once stood in NEOM's own project description before it was removed.
Caveat
At the January 2021 launch the figure given was a million residents; nine million is the July 2022 design announcement.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Khaleej Times — Crown Prince announces designs of The Line in Neom (25 Jul 2022)
  2. AGBI — Neom rebrands The Line as costs and complexity bite (13 Jul 2026)
Claim 3 clm-fe2c96925a32916b quantitative
reported in April 2024 to have been scaled back to a 2.4km first phase for fewer than 300,000 people by 2030, against an earlier 1.5 million (Bloomberg)
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Bloomberg, 5 April 2024: officials expected just 2.4km of the 170km project by 2030 and fewer than 300,000 residents, after hoping for 1.5 million. New Civil Engineer relays the report: the plan 'has been curtailed to 2.4km long' and the 1.5 million residents by 2030 'has been scaled back to fewer than 300,000, according to the report'.
Caveat
Bloomberg's account rests on an unnamed source familiar with the matter; NEOM and PIF did not confirm it, and Saudi officials were reported to say the project continued as planned.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Bloomberg (press)
  2. New Civil Engineer (trade)
Claim 4 clm-ae428e7bab52cb73 quantitative
By November 2024 Reuters' sources said work was focused solely on that 2.4km stretch and its 2034 World Cup stadium
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Reuters, 13 November 2024, three sources: 'work on the project is now solely focused on finishing a 2.4 kilometre stretch including a stadium that is expected to host the final match of the 2034 soccer World Cup, after which future plans will be evaluated'. The Reuters page is closed to automated readers; the wording was checked against a syndicated copy of the same report.
Caveat
Anonymous sourcing; NEOM did not comment.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Reuters — Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (13 Nov 2024)
Claim 5 clm-4b42566c564b5581 quantitative
In July 2025 the Public Investment Fund put the project under a strategic review by outside consultants, which NEOM called common practice
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Gulf News, 21 July 2025: per Bloomberg, PIF 'has hired external consultants to assess the viability of the linear city'; the move was 'confirmed by NEOM', which 'described the strategic checks as common practice for long-term developments'. Semafor, 18 July 2025: Bloomberg reported Saudi Arabia 'looking to hire a consultant for a strategic review of The Line'.
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf News — Saudi Arabia hits reset on NEOM: did costs for 'The Line' spiral out of control? (21 Jul 2025)
  2. Semafor — Saudi considers NEOM job cuts, relocations amid cost pressures (18 Jul 2025)
Claim 6 clm-02366221eb4e39c5 quantitative
CNBC reported large sections frozen with the workforce cut by 35% since April
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Gulf News, 21 July 2025: 'CNBC, citing sources close to the project, reported that development has been frozen on large sections of The Line, with the number of active construction workers cut by 35% since April 2025.'
Caveat
Second-hand: Gulf News relaying CNBC's anonymous sources.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf News — Saudi Arabia hits reset on NEOM: did costs for 'The Line' spiral out of control? (21 Jul 2025)
Claim 7 clm-f9d5a4f8b4b31abc quantitative
In May 2026 Semafor reported further work pushed back until after 2030
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Semafor, 22 May 2026: NEOM 'has delayed further work on The Line ... until at least after 2030 as the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund shifts spending toward developing infrastructure like ports and data centers'.
Caveat
People familiar with the matter; NEOM did not respond to a request for comment and has not confirmed the report.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Semafor — Saudi's NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030 (22 May 2026)
Claim 8 clm-be052bddf0fd75d5 quantitative
PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan had said in April that no NEOM project was cancelled, but that finishing The Line by 2030 was 'good to have, but it's not a must have'
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
AFP, 16 April 2026: 'No project in Neom has been cancelled,' said Yasir Al-Rumayyan; 'Has anything been postponed? Yes, definitely'; and on Al Arabiya: 'Is it necessary for The Line to be completed by 2030? I don't think so. It's good to have, but it's not a must have.'
Caveat
No claim-specific caveat recorded

Sources carrying this claim

  1. AFP via Macau Business — Saudi investment official says Neom projects delayed, not cancelled (16 Apr 2026)
Claim 9 clm-a1f614a93a94ac0c quantitative
In July 2026 NEOM's own web page dropped the nine-million and car-free promises for a 'phased, demand-led approach'
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
AGBI, 13 July 2026: on NEOM's rewritten site The Line is 'a core component' of a 'phased, demand-led approach', and 'Earlier references to housing 9 million people, operating without roads or cars and running entirely on renewable energy, no longer appear in the main project description'. NEOM's page today reads: 'THE LINE is advancing through a phased, demand-led approach.'
Caveat
NEOM's spokesperson told AGBI the update 'should not be interpreted as signalling any change to our long-term vision'.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. AGBI — Neom rebrands The Line as costs and complexity bite (13 Jul 2026)
  2. NEOM (operator)
Claim 10 clm-f6f07689b37704c2 descriptive
in October Reuters reported the stadium shelved indefinitely
Published field
snippet · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Gulf News, 5 October 2026, relaying Reuters: 'The stadium plans have now been shelved indefinitely, according to Reuters, following delays and the scaling back of The Line project'; MEED Projects lists the $2.5bn, 46,000-seat venue 'on hold'.
Caveat
Two anonymous Reuters sources; NEOM did not reply, and the World Cup authority did not address the stadium directly.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf News — Saudi Arabia's $2.5 billion NEOM stadium reportedly shelved (5 Oct 2026)
Claim 11 clm-b7b1901637945095 quantitative
within four years The Line went from a 170km blueprint to a 2.4km first phase and then to a site halted until after 2030
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Launch January 2021 (Gulf News); the 2.4km first phase reported April 2024 (New Civil Engineer: 'has been curtailed to 2.4km long'); further work delayed until after 2030 reported May 2026 (Semafor). 2021 to 2025, when construction was reported suspended, is four years.
Caveat
The 2025 suspension and the 2030 delay rest on press reports from unnamed sources that NEOM has not confirmed.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Gulf News — Saudi Crown Prince launches 'The Line' within NEOM project (10 Jan 2021)
  2. New Civil Engineer (trade)
  3. Semafor — Saudi's NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030 (22 May 2026)
Claim 12 clm-ac29792d51ee2a41 quantitative
The often-cited $50bn is NEOM's own count of infrastructure spending across the whole region — its deputy CEO's figure in January 2025, a month before its chief development officer put the same tally at $37bn
Published field
lesson · verbatim
Mapping
mapped · no interpretation or interpolation added by this file
What the mapping says
Dezeen, February 2025: NEOM deputy CEO Rayan Fayez at Davos, 'More than $50 billion has been spent so far building the basic infrastructure.' AGBI, 17 February 2025: chief development officer Denis Hickey told the PIF Private Sector Forum NEOM 'has spent more than SAR140 billion ($37 billion) on infrastructure development so far'. Both figures are NEOM-wide.
Caveat
Two NEOM executives gave different totals a month apart; neither is audited, and neither separates The Line from the rest of NEOM.

Sources carrying this claim

  1. Dezeen — Neom has cost more than $50 billion so far, says deputy CEO (Feb 2025)
  2. AGBI — Neom spends $37bn on infrastructure development (17 Feb 2025)
Forensic record — source dossiers, gaps, hashes and the exact revision this page renders

This layer records what is known about each source, what is still missing, and the exact snapshot this page is rendering. A missing date, archive or hash stays visible as missing.

unreviewed Revision 2026-10-11-baseline effective 2026-10-11 · created 2026-10-11

Awaiting operator and domain-expert review; publication of this revision implies neither.

sha256:7faa3ec4b39fa1573fa353af851fa877099bcbac6d6f047071a0badbae9dc732
Revision history → Permanent version link → Machine-readable record → Evidence Constitution →
12
of 12 claims mapped
16
source dossiers
14
publication dates recorded
0
archives linked
0
exact locators
0
content captures hashed

Governance facts carried by the record

Operator
NEOM
Actor types
national-government
Funding model
public
Funding description
Not recorded
Cost
NEOM as a whole was announced at $500bn in 2017; a consultant told Reuters in November 2024 that 'The Line alone was going to cost over a trillion', which is why it was scaled back. NEOM's own executives put region-wide infrastructure spending to date at more than $50bn (deputy CEO, January 2025) and more than SAR140bn ($37bn) (chief development officer, February 2025). No figure for The Line alone has been published by NEOM.
Ownership
Not recorded
Decision rights
Not recorded
Exit conditions
Not recorded

16 source dossiers

NEOM (operator) neom.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-7bb9a047278c47f0
Publisher
Name not classified · neom.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Operator page as rewritten in 2026: The Line is 'a core component of NEOM's long-term vision' that 'is advancing through a phased, demand-led approach'. The page names no length, resident number or completion date.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Bloomberg (press) bloomberg.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-a693e9062ea9b0d1
Publisher
Name not classified · bloomberg.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-04-05
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Broke the 2024 scale-back: officials expected 2.4km of The Line by 2030 and fewer than 300,000 residents, down from a hoped-for 1.5 million; at least one contractor had begun dismissing workers.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
New Civil Engineer (trade) newcivilengineer.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-22cfc69d023bc2f6
Publisher
Name not classified · newcivilengineer.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-04-08
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Trade report relaying Bloomberg: the 170km plan 'has been curtailed to 2.4km long', residents by 2030 cut from 1.5 million to fewer than 300,000, the 2024 NEOM budget not yet approved.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Wikipedia — The Line, Saudi Arabia en.wikipedia.org · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-26f5c4b3ff9227fc
Publisher
Name not classified · en.wikipedia.org
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
Not recorded
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Encyclopedia article with the project timeline, including the 2024 scale-back, the 2025 review and the May 2026 Semafor report.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Gulf News — Saudi Crown Prince launches 'The Line' within NEOM project (10 Jan 2021) gulfnews.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-545cf2ae2911ca2b
Publisher
Name not classified · gulfnews.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2021-01-10
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Launch report from the Saudi Press Agency statement: a 170km belt of communities 'without cars and roads', 'zero cars, zero streets, and zero Carbon emissions', 380,000 jobs and SR180bn of GDP by 2030, a city of a million residents.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Khaleej Times — Crown Prince announces designs of The Line in Neom (25 Jul 2022) khaleejtimes.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-d18a9c33f56d4e8c
Publisher
Name not classified · khaleejtimes.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2022-07-25
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Design reveal: The Line 'is only 200 meters wide, 170 kilometres long and 500 meters above sea level' and 'will eventually accommodate 9 million residents' on a 34 km² footprint, with a five-minute walk to all facilities and a 20-minute end-to-end rail transit.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Reuters — Saudi Arabia prioritizes sports for NEOM plans as costs balloon, sources say (13 Nov 2024) reuters.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-24c952c4209b50ad
Publisher
Name not classified · reuters.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2024-11-13
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Three sources a day after CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr's departure: NEOM 'scaled down and broken into chunks'; work on The Line 'solely focused on finishing a 2.4 kilometre stretch including a stadium' for the 2034 World Cup final; a consultant said The Line alone 'was going to cost over a trillion which was why it's been scaled back'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Dezeen — Neom has cost more than $50 billion so far, says deputy CEO (Feb 2025) dezeen.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-0a24b8eb39441d1d
Publisher
Name not classified · dezeen.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-02-15
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

NEOM deputy CEO Rayan Fayez at Davos: 'More than $50 billion has been spent so far building the basic infrastructure' of the NEOM region.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
AGBI — Neom spends $37bn on infrastructure development (17 Feb 2025) agbi.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-8856565446f7e79b
Publisher
Name not classified · agbi.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-02-17
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Chief development officer Denis Hickey at the PIF Private Sector Forum: NEOM 'has spent more than SAR140 billion ($37 billion) on infrastructure development so far'; The Line 'to be built in modular phases, is scheduled to open its first phase in 2030'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Semafor — Saudi considers NEOM job cuts, relocations amid cost pressures (18 Jul 2025) semafor.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-d6d3d0ba38c82862
Publisher
Name not classified · semafor.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-07-18
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

PIF, which 'so far has been providing the funding for its construction', was weighing workforce cuts and relocating 1,000+ staff to Riyadh; PIF's head of audit was leading a review of progress and spending; Bloomberg had reported a consultant being sought for a 'strategic review' of The Line; focus had shifted to 'completing a smaller part of the towers by 2030'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf News — Saudi Arabia hits reset on NEOM: did costs for 'The Line' spiral out of control? (21 Jul 2025) gulfnews.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-ceb797a3388d225f
Publisher
Name not classified · gulfnews.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2025-07-21
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

NEOM confirmed the strategic review and 'described the strategic checks as common practice'; per Bloomberg, PIF 'hired external consultants to assess the viability of the linear city'; per CNBC, 'development has been frozen on large sections of The Line, with the number of active construction workers cut by 35% since April 2025'; per the WSJ, an internal report put NEOM's end-state cost at $8.8 trillion by 2080, with a $370bn first phase.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
AFP via Macau Business — Saudi investment official says Neom projects delayed, not cancelled (16 Apr 2026) macaubusiness.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-028a0aa7acad8bff
Publisher
Name not classified · macaubusiness.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-04-16
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

AFP report of PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan's speech and Al Arabiya interview: 'No project in Neom has been cancelled'; 'Has anything been postponed? Yes, definitely'; 'Is it necessary for The Line to be completed by 2030? I don't think so. It's good to have, but it's not a must have.' Also records the 2022 pitch of over one million residents by 2030 and nine million by 2045.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf Construction — Mega projects update (1 May 2026) gulfconstructiononline.com · background

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-3c7a5c8249f15b30
Publisher
Name not classified · gulfconstructiononline.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-05-01
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Trade roundup: 'Construction on The Line was suspended by Public Investment Fund (PIF) in September 2025, following a year-long strategic review. Only approximately 2.4 km of foundation work has been completed against the original 170 km vision'; the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena postponed indefinitely in January 2026; NEOM cancelled dam and tunnel contracts.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Background source; no baseline claim points here
Semafor — Saudi's NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030 (22 May 2026) semafor.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-56dc43b38a87ed01
Publisher
Name not classified · semafor.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-05-22
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Exclusive from people familiar with the matter: NEOM 'has delayed further work on The Line ... until at least after 2030' as PIF shifts spending to ports and data centres; the twin skyscrapers are being 'significantly' redesigned; NEOM-wide residents by 2030 now targeted at up to 100,000, after 1.5 million and then 300,000. NEOM did not respond to a request for comment.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
AGBI — Neom rebrands The Line as costs and complexity bite (13 Jul 2026) agbi.com · 2 linked claims

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-1c7f449f83079c36
Publisher
Name not classified · agbi.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-07-13
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

NEOM rewrote its website: renderings of the 500m glass structure replaced by landscape images; The Line now 'a core component' of a 'phased, demand-led approach'; 'Earlier references to housing 9 million people, operating without roads or cars and running entirely on renewable energy, no longer appear'. A NEOM spokesperson: 'We routinely update our digital platforms ... this should not be interpreted as signalling any change to our long-term vision'.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Gulf News — Saudi Arabia's $2.5 billion NEOM stadium reportedly shelved (5 Oct 2026) gulfnews.com · 1 linked claim

Open original source ↗

Stable source ID
src-e6f65f9c8385b053
Publisher
Name not classified · gulfnews.com
Type / language
web-page · language not classified
Published
2026-10-05
Updated
Not recorded
Source last checked
No source-level check date
Record last verified
2026-10-11
Dossier created
2026-10-11
Retrieved copy
No local capture recorded
Archive
No archived copy linked
Content hash
No captured content hash
Locator
Open the recorded source note

Relays Reuters (4 Oct 2026): plans for the $2.5bn, 46,000-seat stadium inside The Line 'have now been shelved indefinitely'; MEED Projects lists it 'on hold' with no completion date; Al-Rumayyan 'said in April that The Line was no longer a priority and was not vital before 2030' while denying cancellations.

Descriptive only — not page/paragraph exact
Claims linked
Known limits of this file
  • Publisher names and source languages have not yet been classified; domains are recorded without guessing.
  • Existing source notes are descriptive locators, not page- or paragraph-exact citations.
  • A missing archive, publication date or content hash is shown as null rather than inferred.
  • The project-level evidence grade ranks the strongest source in the entry; it is not a truth score for every claim.

Continue exploring

Compare this project

🇰🇷 Songdo International Business District · Incheon Two built-from-scratch smart cities that missed their targets: Songdo underdelivered but stands; The Line was suspended mid-build. 🇦🇪 Masdar City · Abu Dhabi Two desert greenfield showcases that overreached: Masdar shrank its 2008 zero-carbon goal; The Line was cut from 170km to a 2.4km stub. 🇨🇦 Sidewalk Toronto (Quayside) · Toronto Two smart-city visions stopped before completion — Quayside by privacy backlash in 2020, The Line by cost and finance from 2024.

Explore the wider context

💸 The Price Nobody Publishes💥 Failed & Instructive📖 Adaptive traffic signals📖 CBTC (communications-based train control)📖 Grades of Automation (GoA)
📎 Cite this project

1001 Smart Cities (2026). “The Line” — NEOM, Saudi Arabia. The Smart City Atlas. https://1001smartcities.org/projects/neom-the-line/ (last verified 2026-10-11). Data: CC BY 4.0.

The underlying data is free to reuse with attribution — see the open data page.

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