A study into expanding the Orange Line from the current terminus in Jamaica Plain to Roslindale Village won initial approval in the Massachusetts House, marking progress for the initiative on Beacon Hill.

The proposal by Rep. William MacGregor and Sen. Michael Rush, would direct the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study into expanding the Orange Line through Roslindale Square and issue a report by June 30, 2026.

The bills define the feasibility study after legislators set aside $100,000 in the state’s $1.3 billion midyear supplemental budget, the first commitment of state funds to analyzing the Orange Line extension.

Under the measure, the study would examine the capital and operating cost, revenue estimates, ridership levels, the prospect of operating on existing rights of way, community and environmental impact, regional equity in transit investments, and more.

The line currently runs from Oak Grove in Malden through Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain.

The House bill won initial approval in the last week, moving forward to a third reading.

The bill isn’t the first time the Legislature has looked into expanding the Orange Line towards Roslindale, with similar bills in the previous two sessions making little headway. In the Senate, transportation committee members also approved a measure for the study Monday, sending it through to the Senate Ways and Means committee.

“The extension would provide greater equity and access to public transportation for the neighborhoods I represent and greater access to the neighborhoods, businesses, and attractions to the city at large,” Sen. Rush said in a statement.

Some advocates have pointed to a gap in Boston’s rapid transit in the West Roxbury and Roslindale neighborhoods. Though both have Commuter Rail stops along the Needham Line, the infrequent service and higher fares pose more barriers to public transit than other neighborhoods and leaves higher reliance on the bus system.

A 2023 report from TransitMatters explored the lack of public transit access in West Roxbury and Roslindale, pointing to an opportunity to transform the Commuter Rail line.

“For this reason, we propose converting the line to rapid transit, but this can be done along entirely existing rights of way,” the 2023 report states. “From Forest Hills to West Roxbury, an extended Orange Line will replace commuter rail, with a potential further extension of under a mile to VFW Parkway. The Needham portion would be converted into light rail, connecting to the Green Line’s D branch at Newton Highlands.”

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TransitMatters estimated the high-end cost of extending the Orange Line to West Roxbury at $285 million, with an additional $96 million to reach VFW Parkway.

In a September hearing, House sponsor MacGregor also acknowledged the need to study the option of potentially “utilizing the existing infrastructure on the Needham Line to make this project more affordable.”

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report.