Saudi Arabia is seeking consulting firms to conduct a strategic review of its ambitious plans for building a futuristic city known as The Line, reported Bloomberg, citing several people familiar with the matter, as the kingdom assesses priorities for its project-related expenditures.
A unit of the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund PIF, is asking these firms to review whether current plans for The Line - a 170-km-long car-free city that’s part of Saudi Arabia’s Neom development project - are feasible and also to suggest possible changes, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private matters.
The review comes as Saudi Arabia looks to reassess projects under the Vision 2030 plan to shift the country's economy away from reliance on oil, said the report, citing sources.
"One big element that Neom is asking for is to look at commercialising aspects of the city and how it could turn into something that makes business sense," Bloomberg reporter Abeer Abu Omar said on Bloomberg TV.
"We don't know what the outcome is," she continued. "It could be downsizing, it could be taking a different shape."
Despite the review, Bloomberg reports suggest PIF may proceed with the current plan. Therefore, the evaluation appears to be a precautionary measure, not a sign of delays or scaling back.
In response to media reports, NEOM confirmed that strategic reviews are routine for giga-projects. The organization stated that the PIF-led review of The Line in 2025 is part of phased planning. It does not signal any change in direction or execution priorities.
NEOM remains focused on "accelerating progress to match the overall vision of the project."
"As is typical with large-scale, multi-year projects, strategic reviews are common practice and occur several times over the course of a major development project or infrastructure program," it stated.
"The Line remains a strategic priority and we are focused on maintaining operational continuity, improving efficiencies and accelerating progress to match the overall vision and objectives of the project," it added.
Moreover, NEOM reiterated its commitment to The Line as a top national and regional project. The city remains a key pillar of Vision 2030. Current efforts are focused on maintaining operations, boosting efficiency, and accelerating progress.
The first phase of The Line is planned to house 300,000 people by 2030.
