Forget scaling back, Saudi crown prince MBS is actually charging full steam ahead with his dream project 'Neom' and plans to have an army of 200,000 skilled workers to accelerate construction on the sites by next year.

What happens in Saudi Arabia’s Neom city doesn’t stay in Neom; it spreads like wildfire and gets the world talking. This time it was about the larger-than-life sustainable development in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, amassing 100 of the world’s leading construction companies for a two-day industry forum. The gathering took place in Neom to give a sneak peek at the development taking place at breakneck speed.

More than 100 contractors from across the world gathered in Saudi Arabia and were briefed on the progress of Neom and other mega projects.

It was to highlight that contrary to reports of Neom scaling back ‘The Line’, it is actually stepping foot into its busiest ever phase of development. There is an immediate demand for best-of-the-best construction proficiency to deliver the ultra-ambitious development projects like the 170 km long city, The Line.

Construction underway at Oxagon a floating port city.

It is currently being built in modular phases with the first phase welcoming residents in 2030. Attendees were given a real estate reality check by showing progress on the Line, the high-speed rail line called the Spine, the industrial port city of Oxagon, ski resort Trojena, and the Neom International Airport. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of Neom, stated, “As we go into our busiest ever phase of development, the scale of opportunities across Neom is monumental. With projects progressing fast across all parts of the region, we are committed to collaborating with globally renowned contractors to achieve the vision of Neom.”

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A rendering of Aquellum, the world’s first floating marina under development in the gulf of Aqaba.

Collaboration is key for Saudi Crown Prince MBS’s visions to be turned into reality. Several meetings were conducted with contractors to understand their level of expertise for the $1 trillion novelty called Neom. The event hosted companies from Saudi Arabia and around the globe, from Asia, Europe, North America, and North Africa. It should be noted that a workforce of a whopping 140,000 is already tasked with the development of Neom City that will be bigger than 10 Hong Kongs put together. These numbers will only grow to an insane 200,000 by next year.

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A rendering of the 170 kms long mirrored skyscraper ‘The Line’.

Neom City is not your ordinary construction project with a few luxurious towers but an entirely new way of life that will take time (read: decades) to reveal its full glory. While a recent Bloomberg report suggested that Neom City has gone from a massive 170 km structure to only 2.4 kilometers, it is owing to being built in phases. The first phase of the project will be completed by 2030.