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By Theo Burman
Live News Reporter
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Work on the Line, the cornerstone of Saudi Arabia's Neom construction project, has been announced in new images from one of the project's top executives.
New aerial images show that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's centerpiece urban project is making progress, with the pictures showing new structures and groundwork along the route of the 170-kilometer city.
Newsweek contacted Neom for an update on the project's progress via email.
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Why It Matters
Neom is the flagship element of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's strategy to diversify its economy away from oil dependence. The Line, the most ambitious piece of Neom, was unveiled as a pair of parallel 500-meter-tall skyscrapers stretching through the desert, pitched as an ultradense urban core housing all infrastructure within a tiny 200-meter width.
While Saudi officials continue to promote the Line as a revolutionary project, its progress and scale have drawn scrutiny, especially over allegations of migrant worker abuse on the construction site.
What To Know
In images released by Giles Pendleton, the Line's chief operating officer, the city's ground infrastructure can be seen taking shape, with the 200-meter-wide outline of the city showing in the desert of the Tabuk Province.
"A good snap shot of progress and a range of NEOM infrastructure projects from the water pipeline to new camps completing to massive amount of work in Oxagon harbor," Pendleton wrote on LinkedIn.
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"All are going well and shows things from a very different view point from the air," Pendleton added.
The photos include images of more than 60 newly installed wind turbines and a bustling construction site at the Oxagon port, a nearby industrial node that is part of the wider Neom project.
The photos also show the purpose-built settlements used for workers, who live near the site.
Saudi authorities originally planned for the Line to house 1.5 million residents by 2030. About 2,800 staff already live and work at Neom, according to its website.
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So far, the project has been funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, known as PIF, which oversees a $700 billion mandate to build the Line and other Neom projects. However, Neom's official budget is $500 billion, more than half the PIF's holdings.
What Happens Next
The greater part of Neom is meant to be completed in time for 2030, like the rest of the Vision project. However, because of the complexity and enormity of the design, it is unclear whether the project will meet that deadline.
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