Neom has provided a significant update on The Line amidst claims that numerous fatalities have occurred since the Vision 2030 initiative began in 2016.
Saudi Arabia is currently constructing a massive urban project known as The Line as a component of its Vision 2030 plan, with estimated costs ranging between $100 and $200 billion.
Championed by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, whose net worth is approximately $25 billion, Vision 2030 is described as “a blueprint that is diversifying the economy, empowering citizens, creating a vibrant environment for both local and international investors, and establishing Saudi Arabia as a global leader.”
The Line is set to be revolutionary; a 170km-long, 200m wide urban area devoid of cars and roads, operating solely on renewable energy.
Despite the project’s potential to enhance tourism in Saudi Arabia, it has encountered some significant challenges.
In February 2023, Middle East Eye reported that at least 47 members of the Al-Howeitat tribe in Saudi Arabia had been arrested or detained for opposing eviction from their land in Tabuk province to accommodate the development.
According to a report by the human rights organization Alqst titled “The Dark Side of Neom,” 14 members of the Al-Howeitat tribe received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 50 years.
Additionally, reports have surfaced suggesting that 21,000 workers have died since the launch of the Vision 2030 plans in 2016.
This alarming statistic was disclosed in an ITV documentary titled “Kingdom Uncovered: Inside Saudi Arabia” released last month.
However, the Saudi Arabian National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, which oversees construction site regulations, has disputed these claims.
In a statement to Newsweek, the council stated: “In reference to the misinformation circulating across various media platforms – particularly claims suggesting an increase in worker fatalities linked to working conditions in Saudi Arabia, accompanied by unfounded statistics lacking credible sources – the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in Saudi Arabia unequivocally refutes these assertions.”
The statement further remarked: “The council affirms the work-related fatalities in Saudi Arabia is 1.12 per 100,000 workers. This figure positions Saudi Arabia among the lowest globally in terms of work-related fatalities.”
Apart from the alleged ‘misinformation’, Neom has provided an update on The Line, announcing the imminent commencement of phase one.
On November 11, Neom revealed that it had engaged ‘world-leading partners to deliver the core city planning, design, and engineering for the first phase of THE LINE’.
The announcement detailed that: “Delugan Meissl Associate Architects (DMAA), Gensler and Mott MacDonald are collaborating with THE LINE’s design, development and project delivery teams to provide urban design, planning consultancy and infrastructure design for the first phase of the city.”
“NEOM, with the support of this group, has established a sophisticated design ecosystem with advanced and rigorous methodologies to deliver on THE LINE’s urban objectives. This will then be followed by the planning and design of the neighborhoods within phase one, which will be undertaken by a suite of architects starting early 2025.”