Patrick Boyle

Saudi Arabia’s plan to build a 170km long, 500m tall, mirrored city in the desert, filled with 9 million people has been curtailed to 2.4km long.

According to Bloomberg, Saudi Arabia’s government has “scaled back its medium-term ambitions” for Neom, of which The Line is the most significant sub-project.

The Saudi government had hoped to have 9 million residents living in "The Line" by 2030, but this has been scaled back to fewer than 300,000, according to the new report.

This curtailment of plans comes as Saudi Arabia has not yet approved the 2024 budget for Neom, according to Bloomberg sources.