Trial runs of Dubai's new tram system will begin on Sunday with an initial batch of 11 trains, a report quoting the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said.

On Tuesday, French Minister for Foreign Trade Nicole Bricq visited the Al Sufouh Depot to inspect the first batch of trams delivered last month. Additional 14 trains will join the fleet in phase two of the project.

In the initial run, the trams will operate a distance of 2km between Al Sufouh Depot near the Police Academy and the Knowledge Village, said the Gulf News report.

All the technical testing on the trams have been successfully completed ahead of the trial runs, the report said.

In the next stage, which will begin on April 16, the trial run will extend to zone two, which will cover four more stations and three quarters of the 10.6 km track that will be operational from November 2014, it said.

In the third stage, beginning from June 14, the trial run will cover the entire stretch, extending up to Dubai Marina, including all 11 stations.

The 14.6-kilometre Dubai Tram project is being undertaken by French firm Asltom, including track laying, station building and supplying the trams.

The entire tram network will include 17 stations, with seven stations expected to be completed in the next phase.