Saudi Arabia once promised the world a city that looked like it came from the future. They called it The Line. It was supposed to be a long and narrow city stretching 170 kilometers through the desert. There would be no cars, no pollution, and everything would run on clean energy. Artificial intelligence would help manage transportation, energy, and daily life.
When the project was announced in 2021, many people were amazed. Some felt it could become the new model for how people live. It sounded perfect. But could something this huge really work? That question is becoming more important now.
A Budget That Could Not Handle Reality
The Line started with a massive budget of around one trillion dollars. Even with all that money, things quickly became more expensive than expected. Building in the desert meant creating strong foundations in extreme heat. Experts said the first 16 kilometers alone would need more cement than France uses in an entire year.
They also estimated that the world would need to produce 60 percent more green steel just to build the first parts of the city. These numbers shocked many people. Foreign investors began stepping back. Without enough outside money, Saudi Arabia had to cover most of the costs alone. That caused construction to slow down. And as the pace slowed, workers began noticing something strange. Was the project in danger? People started to wonder.
Construction Slows, and Tension Grows
Machines that once worked all day stopped running. Trenches in the sand remained unfinished. Some areas fell quiet. Workers whispered that progress was slowing everywhere. Some even feared that the project might be canceled. But no one wanted to say this in public.
Officials repeated that The Line was still important. Yet behind the scenes, things looked less certain. If the project lost even more money and time, what would happen next? The answer was not clear, and people were becoming nervous.
Engineering Challenges That Seemed Impossible
Another major issue came from the unusual designs. One of the most talked about ideas was a giant upside-down tower called the chandelier. It was supposed to hang from a huge bridge over a marina. But engineers warned that it might not be safe. Tall buildings naturally sway as the Earth spins, and a hanging skyscraper could start swinging like a huge pendulum.
If it swung too much, it could break. Imagine a 30-story building falling into a marina. That thought alone created fear among the workers. People started questioning whether some of the design ideas were realistic at all. If the chandelier could not be built safely, what other parts of the plan might also fail? This raised even more doubts.
Environmental Problems Add More Trouble
The Line was advertised as a project that would help the environment. But scientists pointed out a serious issue. The long mirrored walls of the city could confuse birds that migrate across the desert. They might think the reflection was open sky and crash into it. Millions of birds travel through that region every year.
If many of them collided with the structure, it would cause a huge environmental crisis. Instead of helping the planet, the project might harm it. This was the exact opposite of what the planners promised. Could this problem be solved, or was it another sign that the project might not be possible?
A Future Full of Questions
The heat of the desert made everything harder, too. Workers struggled to handle the extreme temperatures. Moving materials across the desert was expensive and slow. Soon, it became clear that finishing the city by 2030 would not happen.
Some people involved quietly admitted that the original goals could never be reached. But no one wanted to deliver that news to the crown prince. What would happen if he learned the project he believed in so strongly might never come true? That question still makes many people uneasy.
Today, officials say The Line will continue, but at a slower and more realistic pace. Only certain areas near the Red Sea may be completed. The rest of the project is uncertain. Will The Line rise again and become the city of the future? Or will it become a quiet ruin in the desert, slowly disappearing under the sand? The world waits to see what will happen next.
