Transport secretary Phillip Hammond has urged more people to work from home during the Olympics, to avoid traffic congestion and busy public transport.

He said that he could not promise transport would not be disrupted during the Olympic Games in 2012 and encouraged businesses to think about contingency plans for whilst the Olympics are on, saying that working at home, flexible working and staggered travel times should all be considered.

Hammond said he had been working with many large London employers to help them prepare for the Olympics and commented that many major companies in Canary Wharf have already made plans to use flexible working measures to minimise disruption and make things easier for employees.

The transport secretary's comments came as the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced that work on the Olympic station in Stratford, east London, has been completed. Over £125 million has been invested to upgrade the station, trebling its capacity so that it can handle half of the spectators travelling to Olympics events.

Hammond said the station would "minimise the disruption for those who are not attending the Games and are going about their everyday business during July and August next year".