Featured Image Credit: NEOM
Saudi Arabia's megaproject, The Line, is a 170km-long city condensed into one strip across a landscape - and it's already started construction.
After years of looking like a pipe dream that would never come to fruition, it's now clear from the staggering amount of investment that Saudi Arabia is pushing towards the project that it's a real priority.
Now, we've been given a little more clarity on the timeline of everything - specifically, it's been revealed that 'phase one' of The Line is set to be complete in 2030.
The update comes from a new video showcasing the project's progress on YouTube, featuring The Line's chief development officer Denis Hickey.
After speaking about how exciting the project is, Hickey said: "The first phase of The Line will be complete by 2030. We are committed."
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That doesn't leave much room for maneuver, so it's clear that there's real confidence in how quickly construction will progress - which is helped by the massive amount of money flowing into it.
Hickey also said that the project's modernized approach is something unique in his experience, so one can assume that all of that budget is helping to make it happen in a future-proof way. The Line is making sustainability a priority, apparently, with the intention to be a carbon-neutral city once it's finished, running entirely off renewable energy.
Did you know construction of THE LINE is the largest earthworks and piling operation in the world right now? 🌍
— NEOM (@NEOM) February 27, 2024
Here are some key facts… 🧵 #TheLINE #NEOM pic.twitter.com/EM8PnJvzXQ
While all of this is very glossy and impressive (not least because that video is effectively just a big advert for the project), what's slightly less clear is exactly what the 'first phase' of the project will look like when it's finished.
We would assume that it won't be the entire 170km stretch, since that would surely mean it's basically finished - but the city's designers, NEOM, are being quite tight-lipped.
Regardless, the video contains more aerial shots of the construction that's ongoing at the moment, including huge earth-moving projects and the start of laying foundations for the massive structure that needs to be built.
You can easily see the outline of the city itself in some of these, too, making it easier to get a sense for how wide it'll be (while its length is still harder to get your head around).
It's going to be genuinely fascinating to see more of these photos and video updates over the next few years as that 2030 deadline creeps nearer and nearer.
