Irish Rail's Chief Executive is cutting short his holiday to deal with this weekend's work stoppage at the company.

David Franks will return from Mauritius tomorrow, ahead of the 48-hour action by members of the NBRU and SIPTU on Sunday and Monday.

Work stoppages are also scheduled on September 7th and 21st, which will coincide with the GAA All-Ireland hurling and football finals at Croke Park. This weekend's actions will coincide with the first senior football semi-final between Kerry and Mayo on Sunday.

Spokesperson Barry Kenny says David Franks will lead Irish Rail's response to the stoppage, and is available for talks with unions if necessary:

Iarnród Éireann says it needs to make massive savings to protect the future viability of the company.

They say the planned strikes will see the company face insolvency and will damage customer loyalty and affect hundreds of thousands of regular commuters.

The National Transport Authority has advised alternate transport options will be on offer around the country on the strike dates. Information is available at the Transport for Ireland website.