A Catholic saint, an Australian cricket captain and a former Victorian premier. They may seem a bit of a motley crew, but all three now have something equally unexpected in common: the Metro Tunnel project.

The $11 billion rail project's first tunnel boring machine is named Joan, after former state premier Joan Kirner, and she is set to start digging her way from West Melbourne to Kensington within the next seven days.

Catholic priest Father Anthony Bernal blesses Joan, a Metrol Tunnel boring machine. Credit:Eddie Jim

A second, dubbed Meg in a nod to Australian cricket captain Meg Lanning, will also soon begin digging.

Joining Joan on Thursday morning at North Melbourne's future Arden station to wish her well was Premier Daniel Andrews, Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan and a group of Metro Tunnel workers.