How can Saudi Arabia's The Line city possibly work? Baffling new images of NEOM ... trends now
Designs for Saudi Arabia's The Line are stretching the imagination once again, with baffling concept images showing a ship travelling through the megacity, amid reports that the ambitious project will need to be scaled back.
NEOM, which is behind the project and is the brainchild of ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, claims the 106-mile metropolis will 'redefine liveability' and 'transform how we live'.
But critics have said the grand plan is unfeasible, with a Bloomberg report last month suggesting it's length will be reduced by 98 per cent to just one-and-a-half miles and will be home to just 300,000 people by 2030, rather than 1.5 million.
Renderings suggest that the metropolis will be encased in two long mirrored skyscrapers which reflect the sky, surrounding desert and water, giving the illusion of invisibility.
So when a cruise ship sails towards its concealed entrance, it appears to vanish from a certain angle, with little explanation available as to what purpose the futuristic marina would serve or how it will be accessed.
The metropolis appears to be invisible, floating over a marina, in one confusing artist's impression of the plans
Renderings suggest that the metropolis will be encased in two long mirrored skyscrapers which reflect the sky, surrounding desert and water
NEOM claims the 106-mile futuristic metropolis will 'redefine liveability' and 'transform how we live'
New aerial pictures of the construction site show a bare desert landscape and no apparent foundations
The Line has been pitched as a new vision for urban design - with computer generated promotional material making it look like something out of a science fiction film
A map shows where The Line was set to be built, and how long it would have been. Saudi officials said it would be built in stages, and would eventually cover a 106-mile stretch of desert along the coast of the Red Sea in the western Tabuk province
The Line has been pitched as a new vision for urban design - with computer generated promotional material making it look like something out of a science fiction film.
As well as its otherworldly designs, the staggering cost of the huge project has sparked scepticism about its viability.
When it was first announced, The Line was slated to cost $1.5 trillion (£1.2tn), but now reports have emerged that it could cost more than $2 trillion if it is built in full.
The first 1.5 miles of The Line alone are estimated to cost more than $100 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports today, citing two employees
