Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megaproject has reached a landmark milestone in 2026, with the opening of its first residential district welcoming early residents and construction workers to a purpose-built community in the Tabuk region, as the broader project’s physical construction accelerates across multiple sites spanning the NEOM Special Economic Zone’s 26,500 square kilometre footprint.
NEOM, backed by USD 500 billion in committed investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and international partners, encompasses several distinct developments being constructed simultaneously: THE LINE’s iconic mirrored urban corridor, SINDALAH luxury island resort, TROJENA mountain ski resort, and ARIUM marine sanctuary, with each targeting completion of initial phases between 2027 and 2030.
THE LINE: World’s Most Ambitious Construction Project
THE LINE, a 170-kilometre linear city designed for up to 9 million residents with zero cars, zero carbon emissions and a self-contained ecosystem of homes, workplaces, parks and cultural venues, remains the world’s largest and most ambitious single construction project by any measurable standard. Its mirrored exterior walls, each 500 metres tall and 200 metres wide, are designed to reflect the surrounding landscape while housing a triple-layer community of residential, commercial and services spaces within.
Construction progress in 2026 has focused on the foundational infrastructure, earthworks, utility networks and the transit system backbone, with vertical construction of THE LINE’s iconic facades expected to accelerate through 2027. NEOM CEO Nadhmi Al-Nasr has confirmed that the project remains on track to receive its first permanent residents by 2028.
SINDALAH: First NEOM Project to Welcome Visitors
SINDALAH island resort in the Red Sea is progressing as the first NEOM sub-project to approach public launch, targeting a soft opening of its luxury marina and hospitality facilities in 2026. The island, designed as a premium yachting and water sports destination, is expected to serve as NEOM’s first revenue-generating asset and proof of concept for the broader project’s commercial viability.
For Gulf businesses, NEOM represents one of the most significant near-term procurement and contracting opportunities in the region’s history, with hundreds of billions of dollars in construction, technology, hospitality and services spending flowing through Saudi Arabia’s economy over the next decade, creating supply chain opportunities for companies across every sector.
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Primary source: NEOM, the developer publishing the designs discussed here.
