  We propose an alternative formulation of tachyon inflation using the
geometrical tachyon arising from the time dependent motion of a BPS $D3$-brane
in the background geometry due to $k$ parallel $NS$5-branes arranged around a
ring of radius $R $. Due to the fact that the mass of this geometrical tachyon
field is $\sqrt{2/k} $ times smaller than the corresponding open-string tachyon
mass, we find that the slow roll conditions for inflation and the number of
e-foldings can be satisfied in a manner that is consistent with an effective
4-dimensional model and with a perturbative string coupling. We also show that
the metric perturbations produced at the end of inflation can be sufficiently
small and do not lead to the inconsistencies that plague the open string
tachyon models. Finally we argue for the existence of a minimum of the
geometrical tachyon potential which could give rise to a traditional reheating
mechanism.
