NEOM's THE LINE to Begin Vertical Construction This Year
NEOM's ambitious linear city project, THE LINE, will commence vertical construction by year-end, marking a significant milestone in Saudi Arabia's urban development initiative, a senior executive announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Denis Hickey, Chief Development Officer at NEOM, revealed that the project, envisioned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to revolutionise urban planning by creating a car-free, sustainable city stretching 170 kilometres in length whilst maintaining a width of just 1.2 kilometres.
"The LINE is more than a city; it's a paradigm shift in urban development," Hickey said during a NEOM Talks session.
"This master-planned city eliminates cars entirely, offering an exceptionally efficient transportation network that ensures seamless movement for residents."
Australian national Hickey repeated comments that several senior executives and government officials in the country said in recent months that it was not scaling back operations, despite previous reports.
The development, designed to house 9 million residents, will operate entirely on renewable energy and incorporate advanced digital solutions. Taking inspiration from Manhattan's 1811 grid design, THE LINE adopts a vertical approach to urban planning, significantly exceeding Manhattan's 22-kilometre length.
"By folding the city upwards, we are creating a multi-layered environment that eliminates the congestion seen in traditional cities," Hickey explained.
The design features primary decks every 100 metres along its length, serving as boulevards for traffic and infrastructure.
To contextualise the project's scale, Hickey compared it to Dubai's Burj Khalifa, noting that whilst the latter encompasses 300,000 square metres of gross floor area, the initial phase of THE LINE alone will span 20 million square metres.
Infrastructure development and foundation work are currently underway, with vertical construction scheduled to begin before year-end.
Additional details about the first phase will be released throughout the year, according to Hickey.
"This is the dawn of a new era in urban living," Hickey said. "THE LINE represents a future where cities coexist harmoniously with nature whilst ensuring a high quality of life for generations to come."
Earlier Giles Pendelton, COO of the line wrote on social media, “Massive amount of excavation and piling ongoing with the marina getting deeper and wider. 2025 gearing up to be another big year on the LINE ,” sharing the below picture.
