Phase 2 of the “The Line” megaproject, part of the Saudi Neom Urban Plan, has been captured in Aerial images Recently published by the project manager, Giles Pendleton. The photographs show a work of titanic dimensions in full expansion.
“The concreting has already begun,” Pendleton said in a publication on LinkedIn. These are extensive work camps, installation pipe systems and the first visible structures of what will be An unprecedented city.
With an estimated cost of 500,000 million dollarsthat would be about 462,000 million euros, The Line is not a simple city. It is a straight line of skyscrapers 170 kilometers long, 500 meters high and just 200 meters wide. According to its creators, it is able to house nine million of people in an environment free of cars, emissions and pollution.
20% steel in the world
One of the most shocking data surrounding the project is its brutal demand for materials: The Line will consume 20% of all steel produced worldwide. The structures, visible even from space, will be aligned in two rows of skyscrapers of steel and glass that will exceed any building in Europe.
This was confirmed by Manar to Moneef, Investment Director of Neom, who also advanced that the complex will become The biggest logistics client of the planet in the next decade, with an unprecedented demand for cement, elevators and urban technology.
Phase 2 on motion
The disseminated images show the advance of phase 2 where large work camps have been established, empty parking that await the arrival of Thousands of workers. In addition, the construction of an artificial port, Key to supply the project in the middle of the NAFUD desert.
Pendleton confirmed that the spill of concrete and the installation of basic infrastructure, including Water networks The objective remains that all residents have access to essential services in less than Five minutes on foot and can cross the city by underground train in just 20 minutes.
A technological utopia with a great controversy
The city will be protected by a gigantic Mirror facade 500 meters high, designed to reflect the environment and minimize the visual impact. Solar energy, wind turbines and mobility technologies such as electric flying taxis They will be part of the urban model, which Saudi Arabia promotes as the future of sustainable cities.
However, this project is not exempt from controversy. A British chain documentary ITVdenounced the death of more than 21,000 foreign workers During construction, figures that the Saudi government denies. Many of the deceased come from countries such as Nepal, India O Bangladesh, and they would have died due to the extreme desert conditions.
In addition, it is estimated that more than 100,000 migrants They have disappeared since the beginning of the project in 2017. To this is added the forced displacement of up to 20,000 members of Beduinas, whose Traditional territories They are being occupied by the project.
