As part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious project Vision 2030, a megacity called The Line is in process of being built and it’s the first of its kind. The Line is said to be costing the country $100 – 200 billion.
Since the project began in 2016, there have been reports of thousands of foreign workers dying, and tens of members of the Saudi tribe Al-Howeitat being evicted from their homes to build the megacity.
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The Line is part of Vision 2030
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman brought forward the project Vision 2030 for Saudi Arabia.
The project has been described as “a blueprint that is diversifying the economy, empowering citizens, creating a vibrant environment for both local and international investors, and establishing Saudi Arabia as a global leader.”
The megacity is a unique one
The Line certainly is an ambitious project, being the first of its kind, the megacity is set to be 170 km long and 200m wide.
There will also be no cars and therefore no roads, and it’s set to run entirely on renewable energy.
The work hasn’t been so smooth
While Saudi Arabia had hoped for the huge venture of building this megacity to run smoothly, it has not come without many reported issues.
Middle East Eye reported around February of last year that at least 47 members of Al-Howeitat tribe in Saudi had been arrested or detained.
The tribe members had been resisting eviction
The arrests and detainments came after members of the tribe resisted being evicted from their homes which are on the same land where the megacity is to take place; in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk province.
It’s claimed that they were told to move out to make way for the project.
Some were also given prison sentences
It was reported that 14 members of the Al-Howeitat tribe were also given prison sentences of between 15 and 50 years.
This was claimed by the human rights organization Alqst in a report titled The Dark Side of Neom. They have been reporting on investigations around the city’s construction company Neom.
Other reports have also reported on the safety
The ITV documentary Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia also alleged in October that since Vision 2030 launched in 2016, 21,000 foreign workers have died alongside 100,000 who have gone missing.
However, the Saudi Arabian National Council for Occupational Safety and Health has denied this.
The council issued a statement
According to Newsweek, the council issued a statement, “In reference to the misinformation circulating across various media platforms – particularly claims suggesting an increase in worker fatalities linked to working conditions in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by unfounded statistics lacking credible sources,” it said.
The council carried on the statement
“The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in Saudi Arabia unequivocally refutes these assertions,” it stated.
“The council affirms the work-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia is 1.12 per 100,000 workers. This figure positions Saudi Arabia among the lowest globally in terms of work-related fatalities,” it continued.
More recently Neom issued an update
On November 11, 2024, the construction company Neom issued an update regarding the megacity’s design, saying that the first phase of the construction will soon start.
Neom reported that it had appointed “world-leading partners to deliver the core city planning, design, and engineering for the first phase of THE LINE.”
Neom announced the beginning of construction
The report stated that the company and its appointed architects have “established a sophisticated design ecosystem with advanced and rigorous methodologies to deliver on THE LINE’s urban objectives.”
It continued, “This will then be followed by the planning and design of the neighborhoods within phase one, which will be undertaken by a suite of architects starting early 2025.”
