MegaProject

Saudi Arabia's Ambitious 100-Mile Skyscraper Faces Harsh Realities

Saudi Arabia's visionary megaproject, Neom, once hailed as the pinnacle of futuristic urban design, is now grappling with staggering financial and logistical setbacks. The crown jewel of this development, The Line—a pair of 1,600-foot skyscrapers stretching up to 106 miles—has seen its budget projections skyrocket, revealing deep cracks in the ambitious plan.

A Dream Inflated Beyond Reality
Originally pitched as a utopian city rising from the desert, Neom’s financial burden has spiraled out of control. According to The Wall Street Journal, the estimated cost to fully realize the project by 2080 has surged to an astronomical $8.8 trillion—a figure more than 25 times Saudi Arabia's annual budget.
An audit report has uncovered evidence of financial manipulation, with officials allegedly distorting figures to mask the project's soaring costs. Consultants were reportedly directed to artificially inflate projected revenues, hiking up hotel rates to implausible levels—one hiking lodge saw its price leap from $489 to $1,866 per night, while a glamping site’s rate shot from $216 to $794.
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