The NEOM project in Saudi Arabia, particularly its ambitious component known as The Line, is currently facing significant challenges. As of early 2026, only 2.4 kilometers of foundation work has been completed out of the planned 170 kilometers, raising concerns about the project’s viability.

Originally envisioned as a mirrored linear city designed to accommodate nine million people, the population target for 2030 has been drastically revised down from 1.5 million residents to fewer than 300,000. This shift reflects the ongoing difficulties in executing the project’s grand vision.

Construction on The Line was suspended by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund on September 16, 2025, after at least $50 billion had already been spent on the project. The original budget for The Line started at $1.6 trillion but was later estimated to balloon to around $8.8 trillion by late 2025.

NEOM has also cancelled multiple construction contracts, including those for the Trojena ski resort and The Line itself. Eversendai’s structural steel contract for Trojena was terminated, with the company citing the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East as a factor. Eversendai stated, “Until the date of the notice, Eversendai had fully committed and delivered the project as per the contractual obligations with no compromise to safety and quality and we believe this has happened due to the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East.”

Webuild’s contract to construct three dams for a lake at Trojena was similarly cancelled. The Line’s design proposed a single continuous structure that would consolidate an urban population within a footprint of 34 square kilometers, operating on renewable energy and aiming for zero carbon emissions. However, the construction of The Line is expected to release approximately 1.8 billion tons of embodied carbon dioxide.

Critics have pointed out that the urban problems that motivated The Line’s original premise remain unresolved, and the sustainability claims have been contradicted by available evidence and documented reports. The precise future form of NEOM remains unconfirmed, and the extent to which the project will be scaled back or recalibrated is uncertain. Details remain unconfirmed.