[imagesource: neom.com]

By now most of us have heard about The Line, an ambitious 160km megacity, launched by Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Estimated to cost in the region of 440 Billion Pounds Sterling (That’s a staggering R9 326 165 600 400), the city will form part of a desert complex called Neom.

But for those who believed that the crazy scheme was just a hoax, or at best a fool’s errand, recently released drone footage has revealed that construction on this mind-numbingly big project has already begun.

The city, which will include artificial ski resorts, a floating port city, flying elevators and a swimming lane for commuters, will consist of two 500m high buildings that run parallel to each other across 178km of desert. The length of the city means that it will be built on struts to accommodate the curvature of the earth! Lucky for anyone living here, there will be an underground rail line connecting the length of the city. It is estimated that this mega project could house up to 9 Million people once completed.

Not everyone was convinced that the city could even be built, but Prince Mohammed bin Salman has put forward a deadline of 2030 for construction to be completed. Engineers, however, believe that the project will take at least 50 years to complete.

No roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of land will be preserved for nature. People’s health and wellbeing will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities.

Have a look at the official website for The Line.

We’re thinking it might just be easier and cheaper to buy Madagascar or Alaska.

[source: neom.com & theyachtmogul]