The Trail

From Monday, Oct. 26, Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street (almost a kilometre) is closed to private vehicles, buses, taxis, private-hire cars, cycles, scooters and pedicabs, the Mayor of London's office says. Mayor Sadiq Khan called it "a truly momentous occasion for the capital."

This first stage is a temporary "transitional scheme" to gather data and feedback before final designs. By the end of spring 2027 the plan is more than 50 new trees, two public squares, 100-plus seats and dining tables, new lighting and better signage. Deliveries are allowed from midnight to 7 a.m., and emergency services keep access. City Hall says around 7 in 10 consultation respondents backed the plan.

Instead of taking a bus along Oxford Street itself, use the new stops on Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place, about 200 metres from the traffic-free area.

Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland, closed its visitor center, Dunker Church and nearby roads and trails from Oct. 27, possibly into Oct. 28, while Marine Corps explosive ordnance specialists from Quantico removed 10 pieces of cannon ammunition embedded in the concrete base of the O.T. Reilly Monument, the National Park Service said.

Sharpsburg resident and local guide O.T. Reilly set the ammunition from his personal collection into the monument's base in the 1920s, when the land was privately owned; the Park Service acquired it in 2022. Because the shells might still contain explosives, the work was closed to the public. The monument is being lifted for preservation, given a new base and returned to its place.

Instead of the closed visitor center, the park set up a temporary information station where Dunker Church Road, Starke Avenue and Cornfield Avenue meet; other battlefield areas stayed open.

A Renfe AVE train from Madrid to Seville struck the rear of a stationary Iryo train near Urda, in Toledo province, on Wednesday morning, derailing two carriages. The regional government put the toll at 68 on Wednesday, with about 80 injured, Al Jazeera reports; the BBC reported 69 dead by Thursday. The Renfe train carried 397 passengers, the Iryo train 147.

Transport Minister Óscar Puente said the LZB control system failed around 8:30 a.m. along a 63 km stretch, and the Atocha control centre then let the Renfe train resume "normally," which he called "inexplicable." Leaked recordings published by El País and RTVE, described by the BBC, appear to show the driver being told to proceed at normal speed. Spain declared three days of mourning (Oct. 29-31). It follows a January crash on the same line, involving the same operators, that killed 46.

Rail infrastructure operator ADIF suspended high-speed services between Madrid and Andalusia, El País reported. Instead of assuming normal service on the Madrid–Seville route, travellers should check Renfe's and Iryo's notices before setting out.

Villa Vie Residences told everyone aboard the Odyssey, docked at Sihanoukville, Cambodia, to disembark on Tuesday, suspending a voyage that began in October 2024 and was planned to run about 3.5 years, The Maritime Executive reports. AP says the ship carried 203 mostly American passengers and 156 crew; residents were given about seven hours' notice.

The Florida-based operator blamed fuel: costs per cabin that averaged about $1,800 a month now run an estimated $6,000 to $8,000 in parts of Asia because of the war in Iran. It says the ship will go into warm lay-up with crew aboard while it pursues restructuring over 60 days. Some residents told AP they got no support and had been asked repeatedly for extra money for fuel; one, Carol Larson, said she paid $120,000 for her cabin.

Instead of buying into a startup residential ship, consider how the model has fared: the Maritime Executive notes only the purpose-built MS The World has endured.

Kai, a 62,500-square-foot public bathing house designed by Kengo Kuma Associates, opens on Copenhagen's Paper Island on Saturday, Dec. 5, Condé Nast Traveler reports. It has ten pools, including an open-air rooftop pool, a heated onsen overlooking the harbour and an 82-foot pool on the ground floor, plus swimming and dipping zones around a timber boardwalk. Outdoor pools are heated year-round by a ground-source heat pump.

The 989 million kroner (about $150 million) project, funded by the City of Copenhagen and Nordea Fonden, was originally due in 2021. Tickets are expected to match other city-run pools, typically under 100 kroner (about $10), and capacity is capped at 380 swimmers. The idea came from residents' surveys asking for a central public pool.

Instead of a pricey private sauna club with a waiting list, consider the city-run Kai once it opens.

City Thameslink in central London will close from Monday, May 17, 2027, until late December 2027 so Network Rail can replace all ten of its ageing escalators, ianVisits reports. Thameslink trains will keep running but won't stop there.

Escalator failures have plagued the station, made worse by flood damage. Network Rail says a full closure is the safest and quickest option and meets safety requirements a partial closure could not. "This is not a decision we have taken lightly," said Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex route director.

Instead of walking to busy Farringdon, Network Rail recommends that all City Thameslink passengers use Blackfriars during the closure.

Hyatt announced The StandardX Times Square, an 1,800-room hotel in a supertall Midtown Manhattan tower under construction by Extell (nicknamed "The Torch"), The Points Guy reports. It would be Hyatt's largest property in New York and one of the city's largest hotels.

Hyatt says it will have a rooftop pool, an observation deck more than 1,000 feet up and "an enclosed free-fall thrill ride," plus restaurants, bars and nightlife. StandardX is the simpler, cheaper sibling of The Standard, launched in 2023 with a first hotel in Melbourne; Hyatt's Amar Lalvani said this flagship is a one-off, not the model for other StandardX hotels. Opening is scheduled for the second half of 2028.

Instead of planning around a ride that's two years away, note what's open now: the brand's existing Melbourne hotel.