Underground operations begin on $500 billion mega project

Underground tunnel operations planned as part of Saudi Arabia's visionary mega project NEOM have begun. With a budget of $500 billion, NEOM ranks among the world's largest infrastructure projects and aims to establish an entirely new transportation and infrastructure system through tunnels that will be excavated deep beneath the desert region.

The project will involve construction of massive tunnels that will run the full length beneath the desert, with these structures set to carry the city's logistics, energy, and transportation infrastructure underground. A comprehensive official announcement regarding the full length of the tunnels, completion timeline, and technical details is expected in the coming period.

NEOM, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, forms one of the most critical pillars of the country's Vision 2030 framework for reducing oil dependency and diversifying the economy. Infrastructure work underway in the region has been accelerating, and international interest in the project continues to grow.