Satellite images obtained by Business Insider show the ‘Hidden Marina’ being billed as the first residential phase in scaled-back plans for Saudi Arabia’s futuristic Neom megacity.
The marina, set to cost $140 billion, is part of The Line, a 110-mile-long “vertical skyscraper” residential and commercial complex in the northwest of the country, which is set to be a centerpiece of Neom.
The Line is the world’s largest construction project, a $2 trillion megacity cutting through the Saudi desert.
The entirety of The Line was originally scheduled to open by 2030, but the 1.5-mile Hidden Harbor is the only part likely to be ready by that date, according to a new Business Insider documentary.
BI’s documentary investigates controversies over Neom’s design and environmental plans, as well as human rights concerns.
Denis Hickey, NEOM’s Chief Development Officer, told an event in Riyadh this month that planners envisage the “Hidden Harbor” as a futuristic 500-metre-tall mirrored structure.
Hickey said the marina will stretch for 1.5 miles and contain hotels, shops, schools, and residential units for around 200,000 people.
Rendered images released to Saudi media show a large entrance running under the mirrored facade to the marina complex. It resembles plans for the rest of The Line, which is envisaged as a 200-metre-wide, 500-metre-high mirrored structure.
“We have already deployed significant resources to lay the groundwork for this ambitious urban revolution,” Hickey said.
Satellite images obtained by Business Insider show that while the “Hidden Marina” is taking shape, work on other parts of The Line is less advanced, and little exists of much of the rest of the project apart from earthworks.
Neom is a key part of Saudi Arabian ruler Mohammed bin Salman’s ambitious plans to transform his country’s economy, pivoting it away from fossil fuels toward technology, innovation, and tourism.
But even The Line has been significantly scaled back compared to the original plans, which was to house one million people by 2030.
Bloomberg reported last year that Saudi authorities had altered their medium-term plans for The Line as they encountered obstacles in finding the money necessary for the project.
Nadhmi al-Nasr, the project’s chief executive, also left his position last year for unspecified reasons.
Neom is opening in phases, with a luxury yachting island resort, Sindalha, welcoming its first visitors last October.
Saudi Arabia also has ambitious plans to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Neom mountain resort Trojena, as well as World Cup 2034 games in a rooftop stadium that will be part of The Line.
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