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Saudi prepares for city without cars

The Line is 170km-long development planned to feature high-speed transit and AVs
By Ben Spencer January 15, 2021 Read time: 1 min
190769483 © Manfred Thuerig | Dreamstime.com
There will be no automobiles on The Line, says Saudi's crown prince (© Manfred Thuerig | Dreamstime.com)

Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans for a new, 170km-long linear city - without roads or cars. 

The Line will be a belt of hyper-connected communities (or 'city modules') in the region of Neom in the north-west of the kingdom, near the Red Sea.

Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman announced The Line is being built in response to challenges surrounding pollution, traffic and legacy infrastructure.

Construction is due to begin in the early part of this year and planners say it will mean that residents have all they need within a short walk.

The project is expected to create both jobs and money: 380,000 jobs and a boost of Saudi Arabian Riyal 180 billion (£9.3bn) to domestic GDP by 2030.

A statement on Neom's website says all essential daily services within The Line - such as schools, medical clinics, leisure facilities and green spaces - will be within a five-minute walk. 

It will also feature ultra high-speed transit and autonomous mobility solutions - all with the expectation that no journey will be longer than 20 minutes. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) will play a key role and an estimated 90% of data will be harnessed to improve the infrastructure capabilities, Neom's website pledges.
 

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