The Line: The $1 Trillion Megacity That Will Take 50 Years to Be Completed and Has Already Resulted in Over 21,000 Deaths

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 19/12/2024 at 12:58

A construção de The Line, parte do projeto Neom, envolve um arranha-céu linear de 170 km de extensão e 200 metros de largura, projetado para ser completamente sustentável. Atualmente, as escavações no deserto saudita já se estendem por quilômetros, enquanto a previsão de conclusão total foi adiada para 2070.

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Planned to House 1.5 Million People over 170 km, The Line Faces Criticism for Delays, Investment Difficulties, and Reports of Over 21,000 Worker Deaths Since the Project’s Inception

Saudi Arabia has drawn global attention with ambitious projects, but few have generated as much curiosity as The Line, a planned megacity that promises to reinvent the concept of urbanization. However, the Saudi government recently admitted that the project will take at least 50 years to complete. The question remains: why the delay and what are the real challenges of this monumental endeavor?

What Is The Line and Saudi Arabia’s Vision

The Line is part of the Neom project, a key component of Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the Saudi economy, currently dependent on oil. With a length of 170 kilometers and only 200 meters wide, the city would be completely sustainable, housing 1.5 million people in a vertical structure covered by mirrors. Internally, luxury and cutting-edge technology would be at the forefront, featuring artificial intelligence systems and ultra-fast transportation.

The idea behind The Line is not just to create a city but a global symbol of innovation and modernity. By challenging traditional concepts of urbanization, the project aims to place Saudi Arabia at the center of the world stage. However, transforming a desert into a technological oasis is no easy task.

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The Challenges Faced by The Line Project

Experts indicate that only 2.4 km of The Line's structure will be completed by 2030, with a capacity for 300,000 people, far below the original target of 1.5 million. — Experts indicate that only 2.4 km of The Line’s structure will be completed by 2030, with a capacity for 300,000 people, far below the original target of 1.5 million.

Initially, the government promised The Line would be operational by 2030. However, Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan revealed that the complete project will take more than 50 years. “We are not fools,” he said, highlighting that building a city of this magnitude requires long-term planning.

The lack of international investors has been another obstacle. Analysts suggest that skepticism regarding the feasibility of the project and the high costs involved deter potential funders. The dependency of the Saudi economy on volatile oil prices exacerbates the situation.

The Human and Ethical Impact of Construction

Behind the grandeur of the project lies an alarming human cost. Reports indicate that over 21,000 migrant workers have died since the beginning of Vision 2030, many in conditions that border on slavery. Claims of unpaid wages and exhausting work hours have tarnished the image of the endeavor.

Although The Line is promoted as a model of sustainability, critics warn about the ecological damage. Large-scale construction threatens unique ecosystems in the Red Sea, in addition to requiring exorbitant amounts of energy and water to maintain its operations.

A Long-Term Bet

With the new completion forecast set for 2070, the government hopes to deliver a city that will be a landmark in the history of architecture and urbanism. Nonetheless, experts point out that significant adjustments will be necessary to achieve the stated objectives.

Global perception of The Line remains divided. While some view the project as a visionary milestone, others consider it a risky bet, especially due to criticism regarding human rights and environmental impacts.

The Line is a project that blends innovation, ambition, and controversies in equal measure. While the idea of a futuristic megacity is fascinating, the human and environmental cost already raises difficult questions. The Saudi government insists it is not folly, but a long-term vision.

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Heitor

#104260

25/12/2024 07:35

Parem para analisar, essa é uma cidade para milionários/bilionários se consideramos os custos. Mas nela não haverá ruas. Então não será possível ostentar ferraris ou outros super carros. Não será possível construir mansões e ostentar de outras formas. Os endinheirados não farão muita questão dessa proposta aí. E os menos abatados não terão condições financeiras para bancar isso. É questão de tempo para lermos a noticiar de que esse projeto vai virar nada.
Kkkkkkkkkkkkk
Bem feito!!

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Maria Valle

#101855

21/12/2024 11:12

Planejam na verdade uma prisão, com as pessoas emparedados no luxo. Sem horizontes. Isso acarretará doenças em pouco tempo. É um mundo distópico.

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Luis

#101562

20/12/2024 21:27

Projeto foi abandonado no final de Novembro.

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The Line: The $1 Trillion Megacity That Will Take 50 Years to Be Completed and Has Already Resulted in Over 21,000 Deaths

Planned to House 1.5 Million People over 170 km, The Line Faces Criticism for Delays, Investment Difficulties, and Reports of Over 21,000 Worker Deaths Since the Project’s Inception

What Is The Line and Saudi Arabia’s Vision

The Challenges Faced by The Line Project

The Human and Ethical Impact of Construction

A Long-Term Bet

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The Line: The $1 Trillion Megacity That Will Take 50 Years to Be Completed and Has Already Resulted in Over 21,000 Deaths

Planned to House 1.5 Million People over 170 km, The Line Faces Criticism for Delays, Investment Difficulties, and Reports of Over 21,000 Worker Deaths Since the Project’s Inception

What Is The Line and Saudi Arabia’s Vision

The Challenges Faced by The Line Project

The Human and Ethical Impact of Construction

A Long-Term Bet

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Egypt wants to draw 10 million cubic meters of water from the Nile per day into the desert, irrigate a new agricultural frontier, and build a city where there is currently only sand.

Ethiopia has banned gasoline and diesel cars, placed over a hundred silent electric buses on the streets of Addis Ababa, and now aims for half a million electric vehicles by 2030, all powered by Africa’s largest dam and a courage that few countries have shown.

Norway is drilling 27 kilometers of rock 392 meters below the bottom of a fjord to build the world’s largest and deepest underwater road tunnel — when completed, a 21-hour journey will be reduced to 10.

An astronaut spent 340 days in space while his twin brother stayed on Earth, and NASA found a “rejuvenating” effect, genes, microbiome, cognition, and immune system that revealed the biological cost of living outside the planet.

After 14 years of construction and a diplomatic crisis that nearly led to a military confrontation over control of the Nile, Ethiopia inaugurated the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa — the dam is 170 meters high, holds 74 billion cubic meters of water, and generates 5,150 megawatts.

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Paraná is in the path of the strongest cold of 2026 so far, with polar air advancing after a cyclone in the Atlantic, bringing early mornings below 10 °C, cold wind, and a risk of frost in the state’s highest areas.

Sea level is rising as it hasn’t in 4,000 years, and scientists warn that China’s giant cities may face a much bigger problem than it seemed.

33 engines were ignited simultaneously on the most powerful rocket humanity has ever built, and behind the scenes at SpaceX reveal the explosions, failures, and restarts that almost prevented this moment.

Higher electricity bills arrive at the worst possible time, and a 5.7% increase pressures consumers, fuels inflation, and exacerbates Enel’s image problems in Brazil.