* Aurizon pays out 100 pct of earnings
* Coal, iron ore rail projects on ice
* Underlying EBIT forecast in line with market
* Shares fall 1.8 pct (Adds CEO comments, FY16 EBIT outlook)
By Sonali Paul
MELBOURNE, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Aurizon Holdings AZJ.AX , Australia's top coal rail hauler, reported a 23 percent slide in first-half core profit on Monday, hit by weaker coal volumes and the loss of some contracts, and warned it saw little growth ahead except from cost cuts.
Oversupply, uncertain demand and weak prices have led Aurizon to shelve its two main growth projects - a coal rail line in the Galilee Basin in Queensland and the West Pilbara iron ore rail and port project in Western Australia.
With no growth spending on the horizon, the company paid out all of its first-half core profit of A$237 million to shareholders, raising its interim dividend by 12 percent.
Chief Executive Lance Hockridge declined to predict whether the West Pilbara project or the Galilee Basin rail line it had planned to build for India's GVK GVKP.NS and billionaire Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting was more likely to go ahead within the next 10 years. immediate to medium term prospects are so clouded - I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as between either of those," he told reporters.
Underlying profit fell to A$237 million for the six months to December from A$308 million a year earlier, hurt by a 5 percent drop in tonnages and an 11 percent drop in revenue. The result was just below a Citi forecast of A$241 million.
The drop included an A$18 million provision for debt owed by tycoon and politician Clive Palmer's Queensland Nickel refinery, which is in voluntary admninistration.
Aurizon reported a net loss of A$108 million, hit by A$426 million impairments on the Galilee Basin coal rail project and the West Pilbara Iron Ore project.
The company narrowed its forecast for coal volumes to between 204 million and 209 million tonnes for the year to June 2016, the second time it has trimmed the top end of its outlook this year.
It expects to report full year earnings before interest and tax between A$845 million and A$885 million, which is in line with market forecasts, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Aurizon said it would cut its forecast capital spending by up to A$200 million over the next 18 months and planned to cut at least A$380 million in operating costs by June 2018 to shore up its profit margins.
Its shares fell 1.8 percent, continuing their underperformance against arch rival Asciano AIO.AX , which is the target of a heated takeover battle.