Millions of travellers face a 24-hour national rail strike starting at 5pm on bank holiday Monday.
Rail workers, including signallers and maintenance staff, will also ban overtime for 48 hours from May 25.
The move follows a decisive vote for strikes from members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union in a row over pay.
The RMT said the latest pay proposals from Network Rail fell “well short” of what is required to maintain the living standards and job security for nearly 16,000 staff.
Transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, said: “I condemn any industrial action that disrupts the travelling public. I want to see Network Rail and the unions back round the negotiating table, hammering out a deal.
“Rail passengers will not thank the unions for inflicting this unnecessary disruption.”