Modern ‘Tower of Babel’? Saudi Arabia Halts Construction of ‘The Line’—Here’s Why

• What Was ‘The Line’ Supposed to Be?
• Why Did Saudi Arabia Hit the Brakes?
• What’s Left of the Vision 2030 Dream?
• Is This Saudi Arabia’s ‘Tower of Babel’ Moment?
• What’s Next for Saudi Arabia’s Economy?
• FAQs

Saudi Arabia’s ambitious $2 trillion futuristic city, "The Line," has hit a major roadblock. Originally envisioned as a 170 km-long, zero-emission smart city for 9 million people, the project is now scaled back to a mere 300,000 residents due to budget constraints and plummeting oil prices. This article dives into the reasons behind the pause, the financial realities facing the Vision 2030 plan, and what this means for Saudi Arabia’s post-oil future. Spoiler: It’s not looking great for the desert utopia—at least for now.

What Was ‘The Line’ Supposed to Be?

Imagine a city straight out of sci-fi: 170 kilometers of mirrored skyscrapers cutting through the desert, powered entirely by renewables, with no cars, no emissions, and everything—homes, offices, parks—just a five-minute walk away. That was the dream sold by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016. Part of the larger NEOM megaproject, "The Line" was meant to be the crown jewel of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a blueprint to diversify the economy away from oil. Alongside it, projects like Oxagon (a floating industrial hub), Trojena (a winter sports resort), and Sindalah (a luxury island) were supposed to redefine luxury and sustainability. But now? The dream’s on hold, and the reasons are painfully ironic.

Why Did Saudi Arabia Hit the Brakes?

Turns out, even oil-rich kingdoms have limits. The project’s $2 trillion price tag was always eye-watering, but it became untenable when oil prices crashed. From a peak of over $100 per barrel during the project’s launch, prices have nosedived to around $64.50—a 40% drop. Saudi Arabia’s debt-to-GDP ratio ballooned from 22.9% to 29.8% in just a year, and with a $26.9 billion fiscal deficit looming in 2025, the kingdom had to face reality. As Jerry Inzerillo, a advisor to the crown prince, put it: "We’re rich, but everything has a limit."

What’s Left of the Vision 2030 Dream?

The Line isn’t dead—just shrunken. The revised plan now targets 300,000 residents, framing it as a "lab for 2040 living" rather than a full-blown city. Sindalah, the luxury island, got axed entirely, while Trojena’s ski resort opening is delayed by four years (sorry, Winter Asian Games 2029—you’re now in South Korea). NEOM’s other components, like Oxagon’s AI data centers, are still alive, but the scale-back screams one thing: Saudi Arabia’s wallet isn’t as bottomless as we thought.

Is This Saudi Arabia’s ‘Tower of Babel’ Moment?

The biblical Tower of Babel collapsed because people couldn’t communicate. Saudi Arabia’s stumble feels eerily similar: the project’s ambition, the oil market’s volatility, and the kingdom’s finances just aren’t speaking the same language. The irony? The Line was supposed tooil dependency, but its survival now hinges on oil prices rebounding. Poetic, really.