Alison Killing
@alisonkilling.bsky.social
Visual investigations at the FT. Architect who won a Pulitzer.
Yeah. And the light pollution too - another thing that would have messed with the birds and their migration.
November 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Yeah. And the light pollution too - another thing that would have messed with the birds and their migration.
If you register you'll be able to read it - you get eight free articles a month.
November 9, 2025 at 2:18 PM
If you register you'll be able to read it - you get eight free articles a month.
The waste is genuinely obscene. That $50bn could have been used for so many other things, not to mention all the time and talent of the thousands of people who worked on this thing.
November 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM
The waste is genuinely obscene. That $50bn could have been used for so many other things, not to mention all the time and talent of the thousands of people who worked on this thing.
The PIF took it seriously enough to have spent $50bn on it - that's the figure they gave earlier this year. But they couldn't attract the international investors that they hoped for (and needed).
November 6, 2025 at 8:09 AM
The PIF took it seriously enough to have spent $50bn on it - that's the figure they gave earlier this year. But they couldn't attract the international investors that they hoped for (and needed).
Reposted by Alison Killing
Great working on this with @alisonkilling.bsky.social, Chris Campbell, @peter.andringa.me, @ian-bott.bsky.social, @sdbernard.bsky.social and @raydouglas.bsky.social.
Come for the reporting, stay for the largest map we‘ve ever built...
Come for the reporting, stay for the largest map we‘ve ever built...
November 6, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Great working on this with @alisonkilling.bsky.social, Chris Campbell, @peter.andringa.me, @ian-bott.bsky.social, @sdbernard.bsky.social and @raydouglas.bsky.social.
Come for the reporting, stay for the largest map we‘ve ever built...
Come for the reporting, stay for the largest map we‘ve ever built...
It's devastating.
November 6, 2025 at 7:41 AM
It's devastating.
If you want to get in touch about Neom, my email is alison.killing@ft.com. Or DM for signal.
You can read the full story here: ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
You can read the full story here: ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
If you want to get in touch about Neom, my email is alison.killing@ft.com. Or DM for signal.
You can read the full story here: ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
You can read the full story here: ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
But ultimately, the project has been undone by its scale, complexity and cost. That and an atmosphere at Neom that several former employees described as being like ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ with no dissent permitted.
November 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
But ultimately, the project has been undone by its scale, complexity and cost. That and an atmosphere at Neom that several former employees described as being like ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ with no dissent permitted.
There was some great work done too - to industrialise and standardise the construction process, something that many people across the industry say needs to happen. The just in time construction system they developed was impressive.
November 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
There was some great work done too - to industrialise and standardise the construction process, something that many people across the industry say needs to happen. The just in time construction system they developed was impressive.
Deadlines were incredibly ambitious - so much so that piling began for the Line, even before the building that would go on top had been designed. The Line team therefore maximised the size, putting in 2.5-3m diameter piles - the biggest in the world.
November 6, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Deadlines were incredibly ambitious - so much so that piling began for the Line, even before the building that would go on top had been designed. The Line team therefore maximised the size, putting in 2.5-3m diameter piles - the biggest in the world.
Originally the first phase was to be 20 modules - a 16km chunk. Annually, the contractors would need more cement than France produces in a year. More cladding than the largest manufacturer produces each year was needed to clad it.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Originally the first phase was to be 20 modules - a 16km chunk. Annually, the contractors would need more cement than France produces in a year. More cladding than the largest manufacturer produces each year was needed to clad it.
Material quantities are also vast - a single module was estimated to cost $48bn. Each one would need 3.5mn tonnes of structural steel, 5.5mn cubic metres of concrete and 3.5mn tonnes of reinforcement steel.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Material quantities are also vast - a single module was estimated to cost $48bn. Each one would need 3.5mn tonnes of structural steel, 5.5mn cubic metres of concrete and 3.5mn tonnes of reinforcement steel.
Cost estimates for the Line come to anywhere between $1.6tn and $8.8tn - beyond the capacities even of Saudi Arabia’s deep-pocketed Public Investment Fund. But investors are wary, due to the scale, complexity and unprecedented nature of the project.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Cost estimates for the Line come to anywhere between $1.6tn and $8.8tn - beyond the capacities even of Saudi Arabia’s deep-pocketed Public Investment Fund. But investors are wary, due to the scale, complexity and unprecedented nature of the project.
The construction and other professionals I spoke to say that the Line is technically feasible, but then give a list of reasons why the Line is unlikely to happen - the difficulty of attracting investment being a key one.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
The construction and other professionals I spoke to say that the Line is technically feasible, but then give a list of reasons why the Line is unlikely to happen - the difficulty of attracting investment being a key one.
A single 800m long module of the Line will be the world’s largest occupied structure. This is what the three modules of the first phase would look like if they were dropped into London. The finished Line would stretch from the capital to Birmingham.
November 6, 2025 at 6:58 AM
A single 800m long module of the Line will be the world’s largest occupied structure. This is what the three modules of the first phase would look like if they were dropped into London. The finished Line would stretch from the capital to Birmingham.
This is the situation pre-2023 as well. It made the 2023 result less shocking to me - the far right had been getting this proportion of the vote for a while, but having it concentrated in one party brought them to power.
October 30, 2025 at 8:03 AM
This is the situation pre-2023 as well. It made the 2023 result less shocking to me - the far right had been getting this proportion of the vote for a while, but having it concentrated in one party brought them to power.