End of The Line? Saudi Arabia scales back plan for wildly ambitious 100-mile-long megacity in the desert
Saudi Arabia’s epic 100-mile long megacity might never be completed
- Saudi Arabia's ambitious "The Line" megacity project, a cornerstone of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030, is being significantly scaled back.
- Initially planned as a 170km-long linear city for 9 million people, the revised scheme will now span only a few miles and house 300,000 residents.
- The decision to downsize stems from financial pressures, with a Saudi official admitting the kingdom "spent too much" and is "running deficits".
- This "course correction" is linked to the financial impact of an oil bust, as oil prices have not consistently reached previous highs since 2022.
- The shift reflects a broader reprioritisation of Saudi Arabia's investment strategy, potentially favouring artificial intelligence and data centres, alongside commitments like the 2034 men's football World Cup.