End of the Line? Saudi Arabia ‘forced to scale back’ plans for desert megacity

  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 34 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 17%
  • Publisher: 98%

Australia Headlines News

Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines

Crown prince’s pet project was sold as a 105-mile-long city of the future, but finances may have led to a rethink

It was billed as a glass-walled city of the future, an ambitious centrepiece of the economic plan backed by Crown PrinceNow, however, plans for the mirror-clad desert metropolis called the Line have been scaled down and the project, which was envisaged to stretch 105 miles is expected to reach just a mile and a half by 2030.

Then there were reports of Prince Mohammed’s changing vision for the project, budget overspends and an ever-changing roster of key staff, with some who have worked on the project describing it as “untethered from reality”.According to Bloomberg, the scaling back of the Line comes as the overall Neom budget for 2024 has yet to be approved by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund amid declining cash reserves.

A few hundred metres wide, the linear city had been sold as the future of accessible urban planning, with amenities for residents within close walking distance to accommodation and districts connected by one of the world’s fastest trains.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Ten years to go: key questions facing Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World CupFifa and the presumptive hosts face significant challenges over human rights, worker protections and the scale of construction
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

John McEnroe questions Saudi Arabia plan for tournament ahead of Australian Open7NEWS brings you the latest local news from Australia and around the world. Stay up to date with all of the breaking sport, politics, entertainment, finance, weather and business headlines. Today's news, live updates & all the latest breaking stories from 7NEWS.
Source: 7NewsAustralia - 🏆 11. / 71 Read more »

‘Must do it soon’: Ricciardo warned by Red Bull after ‘odd’ blunderF1: Daniel Ricciardo spun out on the final laps after another disappointing night in Saudi Arabia.
Source: FOXSportsAUS - 🏆 24. / 51 Read more »

Tennis Australia CEO Faces Ethical Dilemma with Saudi Arabia's $2 Billion OfferTennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley is about to find out how influential he is as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) offers $2 billion to merge the men's and women's tours. The offer includes hosting a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia each season. However, the ethical debate arises due to Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
Source: brisbanetimes - 🏆 13. / 67 Read more »

Saudi Arabia to host WTA Finals until 2026 with record £12m prize moneyThe WTA Finals will be held in Saudi Arabia for from 2024-26, with this year’s edition taking place from 2 to 9 November
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

The Guardian view on global women’s rights: Saudi Arabia isn’t the only problemEditorial: The Gulf state is the new chair of a UN women’s commission. That reflects a bigger issue as governments attack or fail to prioritise gender equality
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »