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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."