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Albany's halls of power are empty now, as the state Legislature has taken off for a 12-day vacation.

In New York City, subway cars are packed as ever, and unless the state lawmakers act quickly, crowds and MetroCard prices will get bigger and bigger.

Some Albany leaders insist that help is coming for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

"We do not accept their fare increases, we don't accept their service cuts. We will overturn," said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Sheldon Silver.

"Everybody is clear about not wanting to have the straphangers have these incredible fees," said State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.

But no one is clear about whether there's enough will and political planning to turn hopes into law.

"We are going to have to work with the Republicans in the [State] Senate as well in order to make a plan viable," said Silver.

Democrats must accept limits to their power, even though they control both houses of the Legislature and the governor's office for the first time in 72 years.

Resistance to controversial MTA bailout plans, like tolls on bridges and a payroll tax, has left some Democrats bucking their new leader. Three Republicans from New York City could help, but Democratic leaders are also increasingly looking to upstate politicians for support.

Many bus and subway parts come from upstate factories, and Democrats argue that without a bailout, those jobs could become endangered.

"Those senators should look at what's good for their constituents, not at what's good for their politics," said Silver.

But Republicans accuse Democrats of leaving them out of negotiations, only to scapegoat them at the last moment when it became clear they lacked the votes.

Republican Binghamton Senator Tom Libous, who represents an upstate area where many electrical and heating systems are made, thinks the responsibility should rest with the MTA.

"The real issue here is that the MTA is in a crisis and they've been run poorly," said Linous. "Don't drain the taxpayers from upstate New York. Don't make us suffer for what the MTA has not done well."

Additional difficulties with enlisting Republicans is that the party's leaders have rejected the payroll tax. They are also demanding a parallel plan funding roads and bridges, which is another political hot potato in a state reeling from recession.